#based on the ending of ffxv with luna and noct

[thealphabard]

What could have been...

[achoshistor]

ffxv

i just finished ffxv like last night (more like early this morning...) but lowkey i was too depressed to go through the dlc. this was really sad.

SPOILERS (MAIN story didnt open it back up to ch 15 yet)

i think if you are a #loyal fan then you read that last post where i meant to play this game originally. lowkey i liked this better than the remake even though everyone else hates on it. i think after going through the game's history the ending did feel a little rushed so i didnt feel the exact same sadness i did with ccr but i nearly shed a tear at that ending. IMO this game really had a lot of potential, like i don't understand the complaints about the open world. like u hear botw is great an all but it has the exact same "issues" tbh—i have it in quotes bc ofc the open world is going to be a little bit more empty—if you go outside everything will be empty too?? and i mean like at least just about every structure in this game has a side quest tied to it, while botw/totk leave SOOO many mysteries and have such a strange connection between the lore; this one just has too much for you to think about it in detail. like compared to ff7r there feels like more in ffxv too, ive got like 50hr in xv compared to my barely 30 in remake. though afaik rebirth is open world (sale was only $48 too expensive for license only will review when it goes 50% off ish) and the original by technicalities is as well and really this game kind of feels like a precursor to ff7r. like theres an anime, a movie, and a novel too but SO much cancelled content (which apparently was cancelled bc the director left on "good"(BAD) terms with sqenix and the team and budget were moved over to some other game) like i watched one of the old trailers right after finishing the game and lowkey now I'M pissed off on Tabata's behalf like the only reason this went to essentially shit is due to tabata's corporate opps... did they not pay attention to shinra at all?? i heard xvi and rebirth did NAWT sell well (obvs in part cause they were ps exclusive) and that i say is tabatas curse.... like ?/?. off topic but i saw that evil cs major again. i think we made eye contact. MY fault for going outside (it was an omen). back to topic at hand im looking at tabatas works (includes ff7cc) and honestly afaik these have a totally different feel from the other guy's (nomura idk) work like i think i dont have anymore to say on this topic but i have more to say

ffxv feels soooo American like maybe its just cuz of cindy (speaking of im kind of surprised they didnt just rate the game M) & i remember back in 2016/17 when the game came out it was so hyped up and for good reason cuz its open world but with a car. i feel like the game is car centric (just like american society!!) and like even when its not you get to see these huge big cities like altissia (felt like i was playing infinity nikki there lol) or insomnia or even lestallum but the game again really just gets cut short at Nibelheim (Nifelheim??) and the relationship with the bros gets explored really deeply. the thing with that though is the relationship with luna does not.... like prompto and noct have better chemistry than noct/luna (tbf luna was the one that set them up). i feel like though you need to see the companion media to experience the full game, like when i got to insomnia i lowkey dgaf until i watched brotherhood (im inspired by prompto) bc you see all of the bros with noct and it kind of just sets in how bad its really gotten for Lucis (speaking of, the map is unfinished?? there seems to be a region next to insomnia + insomnia is on the base map looking regular so i wonder if there was gonna be more... same with altissia bc you can get to altissia and the main continent directly but not nifelhiem) bc lowkey the game doesn't really set it in for you. not that big of a deal though especially since 7 has the same issue.

anyways my mind is lowkey like two marbles clacking around rn and i know i wanted to say something but im forgetting what so that will be in a later post (when i finish dlc). thanks (sorry) for coming to my ted talk

[hirokiyuu]

oh i forgot to post abt it but i recently finished ffxv + dlc with gf, thoughts and impressions under the cut (CONTAINS ALL SPOILERS)

NOCTISSSSSSSSSSSSS NOCTISSSSSSSSSSSSS MY LITTLE SACRIFICIAL LAMB OUGHHHHHHHHHHHH NOCTISSSSSSSSSH E LOVES HIS GUYS NOCTIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! NOCTIS....................

overall i enjoyed it. some part of it were so terrible but i enjoyed it. why did they kill luna abt five minutes after she finally became interesting and hten try to retroactively make her interesting but in Bad Ways

She Likes Pretty Flowers But Also Cool Stickers............... Wow........... She's A Person With Depth...........

ukn o how to make that actually a compelling fact AND make me believe noct+luna actually care abt each other? u have noct have a sticker collection he keeps and then he puts a sticker in each letter they write each other and hes careful to always do it. then id be compelled. instead shes most interesting healing ardyn (LMAO GOD I AM ROTATING THAT MOMENT ETERNALLY IN MY MIND) and fighting leviathan adn fighting for her life and i dont care abt her and noct except as Comrades Who Trust Each Other With Their Lives you did not sell me on this romance at all

promptis good. promnis endgame but wow imagine being prompto in lvoe w/the crown prince and hes your star and guiding light nad then he dies. lmao. god

NOCTISSSSSSSSSSSSS AUGHHHHHHHHHHH RAISED WITH LOVE AND CARE AND SPOILED AND INDULGED BC HE WAS ALWAYS GOING TO DIE SO YOUNG, HE WAS ALWAYS GOING TO CLIMB UP ON THE ALTAR AND LET THE KNIFE GO IN HIS THROAT, AUGHHHHHHHHH

fsr the original bulletpoint got deleted so im rewriting. naywaysy fave ship dynamic among boys is ignis being in Love with noctis forever by default and prom thinking ig is kind of hot that over time shifts to prom being madly in love w/his bestie and ignis finally wanting something Outside of noctis except prompto is noctis' so it doesnt matter. noctis/prom eventually that probably shifts promnis endgame. also gladio is there off to the side watching all this like Wow, Damn, I Am Not Touching Any Of this With A Ten Foot Pole,

i cant believe the dlc wasnt included in the base game. ignis goes blind and you have no context. insane to me. gf played the dlc in the order as they happened in the story thank god but oh my god if she hadnt. i wouldve been like ????????????

knowing noct was going to die since altissia and he didnt kno made my heart hurt so bad. AUGHGHGHGHGH MY LITTLE LAMBBBBBBB MY BELOVED SACRIFICE HE WENT WITH A SMILE AND A PHOTO OF HIS FRIENDS WHO HE LOVES AUGHHHHHHHHH AUGHHHHHHHHHHH NOCTISSSSSSSSSS

i like that ep ig had an alternate ending where he lives and i like that it wasnt the canon one. i wouldnt care abt noct as much if his death wasnt canon but i do like that ignis loves him So Much it changes the narrative. what if some guy in glasses was enough to un-doom you

we played w/jp voices on adn wow like..................... there were. Many Changes. man. its funny bc i tend to prefer en goro to jp goro but i definitely prefer jp prom to en. robbie daymond you keep changing these guys around

ardyn did nothing wrong. when he killed all those people in his prologue episode that was fine and valid. he wore funny hats about it even it was ok

side note how were he and aera moer compelling as a ship when they were on screen together for five minutes when lunoct could not sell me at All. i do kno why tho its bc they do a bit together and they clearly like each other and are comfy. They're Friends. meanwhile lunoct.................... man........................ sorry for being a hater but i cant see the romance of it at all

i do think a lunoct i could be sold on is them reuniting and married and very very ery slowly falling in love but thats not what we got. canon lunoct is nothingburger to me. sorry. he should kiss prompto on the lips

trying to think if i had any other major thoughts. the ending part was so horrifyingly rushed and bad but everyone's talked abt that already and the final few scenes from going to the throne room were good and that's what matters (NOCTISSSSSSSSSS NOCTISSSSSSSSSSSSSS NOCCCCCCCCCTTTTTTTTTT)

i cannot think abt the v final shot of him + luna w/o thinking abt the one final asw (the sun is shining / and hte birds are singing / and because today is the very last day / they will sing forever) and then i start weeping NOCTISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS I LOVE YOUUUUUUUUU

truly i think noct is my fave character of this game. my selfish spoiled sacrificial lamb. being told that regis did know abt it made me ill. binding of isaac except god does not stop. tie your son to the altar and bring the knife down, and do what must be done. augh augh augh augh NOCTTTTTTT

[nocteos]

T h e  C h o i c e  o f  F r e e d o m

[quote] // [ver. 2]

Please don’t remove the credit link.

[moquall]

In Arc 3 Chapter 9, Luna was summoned to the world of Dissidia (World B) but her power as Oracle and her memories was taken by Ultimecia. She couldn't remember Noct and even her own self, including her name. Noct was desperate to save her and together with other warriors including Ardyn who hesitate to help until Rydia scolded him, Luna managed to return to her own self.

This scene confirmed the original ending of FFXV is canon in dissidia since Luna said to Ignis, Gladio and Prompto they met and married in afterlife. If you expect her skillsets in dffoo are based from Dawn of Future when she got similar power like Ardyn, you're wrong.

I'm glad to see Luna got more screentime, interacting with Noct and others here and some future episodes will show you she is indeed a great character.

Instead of "We are married, after all", tbh i like Noct's lines in Japanese version more, 『.......もう 奥さんなんだしさ』 which can be translated as "You're my wife...."

[kstormcrow]

The dawn is coming for him, and Noctis knows it.

A small bit of writing to record a vivid dream I had (and many canonical details diverge accordingly). Like most FFXV content I write, it works off my interpretation that Ardyn and Noctis have a relationship to one another based off a combination of (romantic?) attraction, hatred, and deep mutual understanding due to the parallels between them. I make no claims of being a passable writer.

The dawn is coming for him, and Noctis knows it.

Not the way it was supposed to be, not his sacrifice to end the smothering darkness, but a sacrifice all the same; fire and blinding light falling from the heavens to crash across the earth like a breaking wave, and only his blood and body to shield the fragility of humankind from the fury of their makers.

They’ve all gathered here, in some foyer here at the edge of the earth, to see him meet his destiny. Save everyone. Take the Astrals’ fury and transmute destroying radiance into the gentle light of day at the cost of his own impermanent flesh.

It’s coming now, light racing towards everyone from the distant horizon, and he’ll walk out to meet it.

He clasps the hands of his friends, his brothers, and leaves them behind. Presses his forehead against Luna’s, because she’s here somehow instead of bleeding out on a wave-torn altar in a city of ruin, and bids her farewell.

And as he’s walking out to where the dawn rushes to meet him, he sees Ardyn sitting there at a table, chatting with some unimportant person, as though he too were unimportant and harmless and human (though Noctis knows better). Ardyn sees him, looks up at him with raised eyebrows and that small harmless smile like he isn’t a viper waiting to sink venomous fangs into everything that Noct has ever known or loved (is he a viper, in this here and now? Noct knows him, and he knows he’s both poison and the other half of his soul, but everything is so different).

It doesn’t really matter, he supposes. And because it’s about to be the end of everything, and because he’s about to die and because having finally been brought together neither of them could ever really live without the other, he grabs hold of the lapel of that stupid, stupid coat and leans down to press his lips to Ardyn’s before he can think better of it.

And he can feel the surprise, and that possessive love-hate that’s stronger than anything either of them have ever known, and then there’s a chuckle and Ardyn’s arms fold around him like a wolf’s jaws and they’re gone.

The world reassembles itself in streaks and smears of color and light; a small apartment somewhere in a no-name town, a single room with wide windows that perches over an abyss of night. And it is night here, not that inky pitch of the Starscourge but real night with stars overhead and the warm glow of lamps to keep the shadows at bay.

And far off beyond the horizon, the roaring fire as the dawn crashes to earth.

What have you done, he screams, because he knows it’s too late. The Astrals’ fire rolls over the land, over the people, his friends, his kingdom, Lucis, Insomnia, everything of the world he knows. The world he knew.

None of it was worth your sacrifice. And he can hear the hunger, the anger, the fierce love and longing and all-consuming hatred in the sincerity of Ardyn’s voice; for the Astrals, for Bahamut, the all-but extinguished line of Lucis that now lives only in him– in them both. Their dawn can’t reach us here in the dark.

And he’s right, because the destroying light ebbs and fades; a wave broken on the shore, fury spent in its scouring of the lands of his birth.

He can’t think. Can’t breathe. The loss crushes the air out of him, but it’s inside him too, expanding, cracking his brittle ribs open one by one in a frantic bid to escape a body that can’t possibly harbor what he is/was/will be. The sea is getting ever deeper, and he is so fragile now without the careful framework of his destiny arrayed about him like a gilded cage.

What is a Chosen King denied his purpose?

Accursed.

It’s too much, it’s all too much, and he clings to Ardyn’s broad chest like a drowning man; grasps desperately for safe harbor, for a single point of anything in that all-encompassing tide that’s come to dash him against the rocks before pulling him beneath indifferent waves. At last he understands those stupid clothes, a thousand layers of woven shield against a world that no longer has a use for those abandoned by their fate. Surely if he holds tight to Ardyn he can share that meager shelter, bury himself in disguise and dissembling half-truths so deep that he is protected from the ruin of all that he was. 

Ardyn smells like old books and smoky incense and sun-golden grass and convenient lies. He’s the most dangerous thing to walk this world in this age or any other (save maybe Ifrit, but better the enemy at your gates than the dagger in the dark), and he surely wants Noctis dead by his own hand if not divinely ordained flames, but in this moment his arms are safe as they hold him tight. And somehow he feels safe. Because for all that Ardyn hates him, resents him, will surely kill him or die by his hand… 

…He knows, too, that nobody will ever know him–all of him–so deeply as the other half of the Astrals’ cruel trick.

And nobody, nobody else could ever understand the love he feels and feels returned, in spite of it all. So as the world crashes and burns with the coming of the dawn he clings to Ardyn Izunia and forgets what fate would make of him.

[kurikorso]

Ok I rewatched the ffxv omen trailer cause it popped up in my recs and I was obsessed with it when I was younger and MAN imagine if the game followed the storyline of the omen

Like noctis heads off alone and insomnia is destroyed like usual (or he tries to head off with the buddies but something happens to separate them idk)

Niflhiem ups its number of magitek soldiers to an insane degree so noctis is constantly on the run (great opportunity for stealth sections im js, it would be hard to infiltrate and take down bases like you do in the og game when instead of four people you only have one 👀)

His only companion for the journey is pryna, who remains mysterious and distant but still a good pupper

And Luna! It's hinted at that she's going on a sort of "mirrored journey" to noctis's so we could have two player characters! Half the game is noct's journey and half is Luna's (and umbra's ofc), if u really wanna go all out there could be a switching mechanic for puzzles and stuff 👀👀 like strategically placed reflective surfaces to jump through to switch characters in a mirrored world where doing stuff in one affects the other

And the best part!! The losing of the powers! Noct loses his ability to warp and summon weapons from the armiger as the trailer goes on, so it would be really cool if that became part of the gameplay, like a reverse to normal games where you gain abilities as you go

You start off with all the powers of the crystal, but you lose them as the story goes on and you have to find ways to adapt, like stealing weapons and using the environment to fight instead of relying solely on magic

It sounds like it would make gameplay more restrictive but it could actually open a lot more doors for a whole lot of diff ways to take down enemies, like how noct crushes that ma-x

I also love the sort of non-euclidean and dreamlike vibe of the trailer (thinking about that non-euclidean game engine video 👀👀👀) so levels or parts of the game have potential for some really mind fucky stuff

Also this fandom has a taste for psychological horror (pitioss, costlemark, the effects of the Ring) so a more chapter 13 esque vibe would work really well I think (obv without all the other hell that came with chap 13)

There could even be multiple endings... Or if you wanna make everyone sad just keep the original ending

Ok now I kinda wanna make my own game-

[secret-engima]

(Whispers) FFXV ten years younger AU; Noctis is like, 10yrs younger than C!Noct. How do you think that would work out???

HGFDSDHGFDS WAIT WAIT WAIT.

I’M CONFUSED.

Do you mean that Noctis is BORN ten years later and the plot still kicks off? Or that Noctis time-travels and ends up ten years younger. I’m gonna assume you mean the former so here we go. I’m sticking this under read more because I am going to RAMBLE LIKE CRAZY.

-The wedding is not a thing. Because Noctis is TEN.

-It is quite possible that he never got attacked by the Marilith, because by the time he was eight, Tenenbrae might have already been invaded.

-That or the invasion was delayed until Noctis got there, which means Luna would be 22 when she meets Noctis and Ravus is 26 so both are WAY more mature and comfortable in their own skin/morals by the time the invasion happens. Ravus does not beg Regis for help but instead helps with the evacuation, Luna is not dumb enough to stop and let the MTs take her, Sylva may or may not still die, but at least she doesn’t take a flame-thrower to the face (might still get stabbed by Glauca).

-Also Gladio is there because he’s like- 21 at this section of timeline and has taken his Crownsguard oaths. Ignis is there too.

-Imma go with my petty side and say that with two adult oracles, an adult Ravus (who was no doubt trained to be a deadly guardian of his sister), a Very Angry Gladio, and a semi-homicidal and reckless Ignis, Glauca has a Bad Day. Maybe dies, maybe not.

-Luna and Ravus escape with teeny Noct and Regis and take sanctuary in Lucis and denounce the Nifs for what they’ve done (Sylva too if she isn’t dead? Which she might be) and the world goes on something of a mass riot because the reason they didn’t attack the Oracles before was for fear of what the public would do if they found out.

-They’re called consequences you morons. You poisoned your cake now eat it.

-Luna and Nyx are a thing. Because Noctis is way too young to even consider it and Nyx finds this feisty Oracle woman who demands to be trained in the glaive with her brother to be Really Hot.

-Luna becomes the Glaive healer, using the Kingsglaive’s movements to disguise her own from the empire so she can still help people.

-If Glauca is still alive, he Glauca tries something as Titus and is murdered by one very angry Luna and one Super Angry Ravus who now has LC magic on top of whatever brand of magic male Nox Fleuret can use (yes I know oracle magic is a girl only thing but MAGIC, the boy has to get something even if its not healing based) because he joined the Kingsglaive.

-Ravus maybe becomes the new Captain of the Glaive? Either him, Nyx, Libertus, or Luche, who is not a traitor because I’ve grown to like him.

-Noctis loves his Shield and his Oracle Sister and Big Brother Ravus, Luna can feel destiny bearing down on them and often cries in private because Noctis is TEN.

-With the world rioting in fury over the truth of what happened in Tenebrae (which I HC in canon was never leaked because the two royals were being held hostage and the Tenebraen people either didn’t know or where being blackmailed into silence with the lives of their beloved royal children), the Nifs take some serious damage to their power base.

-Nifs offer a ceasefire with Lucis to begin “making reparations” with the Tenebrae line and Lucis two years after the invasion.

-Regis smells a rat.

-The rat looks like Ardyn.

-Still, he DOES have little choice but to accept, BUT with the Oracle’s healing and the world public on his side, Regis has way more leverage in this treaty, demands territories be returned and stuff (Galahd included).

-Nifs agree to the terms and come for the signing, Regis doesn’t send Noctis out of the city because as bad as his feelings are, Noctis is TEN and Ignis and Gladio are just young adults.

-The Nifs still pull their invasion nonsense because- well- NIFLHEIM. The Emperor is pretty power mad at this point and is like “if we crush Lucis the dissenters will shut up out of fear”.

-It’s pretty intense. Fire everywhere, traitors making trouble (NOT in the glaive, the Glaive were lured out of the city with leaked reports of a fleet to get them out of the way, it’s corrupt Nobles and disgruntled citizens that do this).

-Without Glauca there, Regis doesn’t die, but he DOES probably get injured and separated from his son, whom Ignis and Gladio take and flee the Citadel, trying to escape the chaos.

-In the chaos of trying to flee the city, they bump into a rookie Crownsguard who just took his oath like- a WEEK ago and he helps them evacuate the prince with his crack shot aiming skills and his knowledge of the city’s back streets (”I like to take photos of the alley cats okay????”)

-The four end up outside the city, separated from all backup, in a hotwired car that Ignis took (”Since when do YOU know how to hotwire a car?” “Since I thought the skill might come in handy now shut up and watch the road”).

-Insomnia doesn’t fall, but the Empire is freaking stubborn and starts a siege or something, so the bros can’t get back in, and since they encountered some Crownsguard traitors in the chaos so they don’t trust anyone outside their foursome and they’re being actively hunted by the Empire ... 

-Who’s up for a road trip?

-Also Regis probably thinks Noctis is dead because Angst and is furious beyond words and Luna smuggles herself out of the city to go wake up the Astrals and ask what to do now only to find out from a really vague Gentiana that the Chosen Lives so she’s off doing that solo adventure playing Hot-Cold with the bros as they run around trying not to get spotted by Nifs and figuring out WHAT TO DO. HELP.

(and this is the point where I could either make this a horrible tragedy about child kings and sacrificial lambs but I hate sad endings so I won’t so have some crack-flavored Fluff instead)

-Cor smuggles himself out to join the search but Ignis is doing his job a little Too Well so nobody can find these bros as they run around and Noctis ends up befriending Titan through the sheer power of his Cute and then Ramuh comes down to see because the Chosen isn’t old enough to take on his destiny except oh look. BBY. and his Granddadly instincts are roused for the first time in Millenia and so now the group has a doting Grandpa showing up at random to give advice and Smite People.

-Noctis continues to befriend just about Anything That Breathes as Big Bro Gladio, Brother Ignis, and his new Brother Prompto cart him around the wilderness of Lucis trying to figure out how to get safely back in Insomnia when there is a siege happening (the Siege is keeping the Glaives busy btw, which is why they aren’t out in force looking for Noctis).

-At one point Noctis gets separated from his bros in like- Lestallum or something and is wandering around freaking out when he bumps into someone. “Sorry,” he sniffles, trying hard to be dignified but also is so close to crying. The figure turns and ... looks at him. He doesn’t like that look.

-Noctis, who has been repeatedly told that he is in danger and needs to keep a low profile, starts to duck away from the man, afraid of being spotted, but then the man is in front of him, blocking his way and there are no other people around and Noctis is shaking and terrified, magic sparking under his skin as the man REACHES for him with a leer- and Noctis sobs and his magic reaches out instinctively in search of help-someone-please-PLEASE-

-A sword goes through the man’s chest, pinning him to the wall and suddenly there is a stranger there. A stranger with crackling, snapping magic that coils around Noctis, old and deadly and wounded but not- not evil. The new stranger turns and looks at Noctis, something cold and confused in his gaze, and maybe Noctis should be terrified of this man with red hair and tacky clothes and what looks like black makeup that’s all runny like he’s gotten it wet or been crying, but all Noctis can think is that someone rescued him, someone is HERE and that man has magic just like Noctis so he must be safe and-

-Ardyn feels like the wind has been knocked out of him less because of a scrawny ten year old cannoning into his waist in a desperate sobbing hug and more because- because-

-He hadn’t expected the Chosen to be a child.

-He had known, conceptually, that Regis’s son was very young but that- that was different from seeing it. From feeling young, immature magic latch onto his in desperation and needy trust and looking down at this tiny child who was already sobbing his heart out into the waistcoat of a MONSTER.

-The Chosen King is a child.

-And Ardyn can already feel two Covenants burning under the boy’s skin.

-The Astrals mean to make a CHILD their sacrifice? They will not even wait until he is grown?

-And Ardyn is not ... sane really, but no matter what he tells himself he still has standards and underneath the screaming of the scourge the old Healer King, the older brother who did more to raise his sibling than their father ever did, rears its head and snarls NO.

-Gladio, Ignis, and Prompto, who are all losing their minds over getting separated from Noctis, find him sniffling but content on the hip of a strange hobo-like man who smiles false smiles and says nothing with a great deal of words and somehow inserts himself into their group and never leaves. Noctis doesn’t WANT him to leave and the three are terribly astonished when Noctis blurts out that this poor man is sick and has magic like Noctis, but his sickness makes him tired and cranky.

-Ardyn is trying not to laugh to the point of tears over such a SIMPLE explanation of the Starscourge.

-Anyway to make an already stupid long ramble shorter, Noctis cutes his way to victory by melting the heart of the Accursed into going “Mine. My Nephew Now.” The Empire overreaches and gets it’s back broken by mass riots and Lucis’s defense and Altissia and Tenebrae both rising up in a bid for freedom, Ardyn gets medical help from a Very Confused Luna and they end up curing the Starscourge through the Power of Cute and the Power of Spite (aka Noctis and Ardyn) and then come back to Insomnia with a defected chancellor in tow who is now fully cured and mostly sane again and utterly devoted to his cute nephew.

-Regis is too grateful at finding his son alive and well despite prophecy to really care about the ex-Chancellor happily passing Noctis candy under Ignis’s exasperated eye every time Noctis looks the slightest bit Cuter than Normal.

[shadowlink06]

About Episode Ignis (Contains Spoilers)

Someone asked me why I didn’t use Ignis as having his sight when I started writing the World in Ruin(WiR) fanfiction series. Even if this series stayed as the one-shot as I had intended, I actually don’t like the idea of “Verse 2″ and here is why.

Part of a trope of Ignis’s character, is that he puts Noctis life in a greater position than even his own. This is pretty much how all of the Crownsguards/Kingsglaives are supposed to operate under the “Glory to the Kingdom” type of mentality that we see with Nyx, Gladio, Cor, even Ravus by some extent. By the time Noctis had gone to Altissia, he was still immature and didn’t take his calling seriously. He hadn’t had any motivation to only do what others pushed him to and never really took charge of the situation. He needed a push.  If this sounds familiar, it’s Ardyn, although I suspect he enjoyed creating the catalyst because... well it’s him.

My impression has always been Ardyn never intended to kill Noctis during Episode Ignis, but he did want to see what Ignis would do in that moment since he loves messing with people. He knew Ignis would be desperate to protect Noct,  and rolled the dice to see what would happen. I doubt Ignis using the Ring of the Lucii was something that Ardyn predicted considering what happened to Ravus. Keep in mind, Ravus didn’t get to use the magic of the ring but was severely crippled by the Lucii when he was rejected. This is what I believe Ardyn wished would happen to Ignis to create further harm to Noctis and drive him to want to kill Ardyn. Ironically if Ignis would have died, Ignis would have been fine with it since he fulfilled his duty to the crown. This is Ignis’s sacrifice for his King. Ignis did it without a second thought regardless as what the outcome was, including death.

If I did Verse 2 and the crystal restored Ignis’s eyesight, this personal growth that would have been experienced would have been lost to Noctis. Not to say that he could have received it later, but the impact would not have been as prominent. Ignis’s sacrifice would have also been voided and I don’t like the god-modded situation since it made it seemed like no one lost anything of value even though they should have. While you can argue that Noctis lost Luna, the effect was not the same. If I am honest with you I find that Ardyn was a fool in this aspect of the story since Noct literally grew up with the chocobros and developed a different bond with them. Verse 2 in my opinion, is lip service to placate those gamers that didn’t want to see Ignis have a handicap and gave a rather *blech* happy ending to FFXV (not all stories should end this way, and Verse 2 was way too forced when you look at the plot holes from Verse 2). I argue that suffering can be good for a character's development since we saw Ignis adapt in the main game, clearly someone was bright as Ignis could have theoretically survived and thus he didn’t need his eyesight restored.

Noctis needed to understand the gravity that the actions that he does effects everyone around him. And Ignis being blind does this in my opinion. It made Noctis take a more proactive role, and made him think about the consequences of his actions. This is why I prefer the canon-style Ignis in this context of the Long Night rather than Verse 2.

Verse 3 (where Ignis died), would have actually been the preferred alternate ending for me because Noctis would have definitely have gotten a fire lit under his ass if he saw one of his friends die like Luna.

So basically... I doubt that I would ever write a fanfic based on that situation without some serious alterations to explain why Ignis got his sight back with no consequence to anyone around him.

[tomiyeee]

Luna/Aranea or Cindy for the ask thing!

lady time~♫

under cut cuz it’s kinda long (but sorry if mobile fucks it up)

Luna (i haven’t watched kingsglaive so i might be missing some things. this is p much only based off the main game)

Fav thing about them: i really liked that one cut scene after her death with her and noctis because got that one was really pretty. also that one scene in altissia where the imperial soldiers barge in and point guns at her and she just stands up, brushes the gun aside, and walks away like “fucking shoot me, i dare you” like damn u go bitch ♥

Least fav thing about them: this has probably been said a million times before but honestly she doesn’t even feel like a character, but more of a plot device. if noct is gonna be forced to leave his 3 whole ass boyfriends behind to take a nap with her forever, at least give us some reason to even remotely like her as a character. give her a few lines that sound like something a real human person would say. give her realistic, personal relationships with someone. gentiana or ravus would have been perfect considering she was so close with gentiana and ravus is her fucking brother. i don’t care about how artsy and poetic her and noctis’s sacrifices were, give us something to demonstrates how close they were personally and how they genuinely enjoyed each other’s company as friends rather than tragic lovers. give her something that wasn’t solely related to the plot and developed her character in some way. luna deserved better :(

Fav line: "when you find yourself alone, amid a lightless place, look to the distance. know that i am there and that i watch over you always.” honestly it’s hard to pick one since every one of her lines is some cryptic bullshit to do with the gods

OTP: *vibrates* luna/shiva/ifrit. also her/gentiana

brOTP: her + gentiana!!

nOTP: her + noct >:( also not a big fan of her/cindy just cuz i don’t particularly like either of them kind of for the same reasons. it is kinda cute tho!

Random headcanon: she would look really nice in casual/modern clothing instead of long formal dresses that she always wears in canon. also she would be a really good fighter if given the chance like noctis and the gang were throughout the game.

Unpopular opinion: probably not unpopular but all her outfits fucking ugly (except for kingsglaive). also can’t stand her voice.

Song I associate with them: “saturn” by sleeping at last? not sure if the lyrics fit her perfectly but idk i feel like she’d do well with star-themed songs, plus it just sounds nice

Favorite picture of them:

either this gifset

or this art of her and gentiana! ♥

-

Aranea

Fav thing about them: she’s like. the only likeable female character in the game. i mean shiva. bby i would die for u, but i gotta admit. aranea’s the only one who feels like she has a personality outside of furthering the plot. also the fact that she shares both her english and japanese voice actors with celty from durarara is super cool bc 1) drrr is my fav anime and 2) both of their personalities are really similar and i think it fits them really well!

Least fav thing about them: i wish we could have gotten her dlc!! the female characters in this game needed all the character development they could get and square enix did them dirty >:( ep aranea sounded like it would’ve been so interesting and i would have loved to see more aranea stuff

Fav line: she called noctis “prince charming” once and i cried (i think it was if you loose to her in training at the camps?)

OTP: hmmnnn…?

brOTP: her and prompto, her/biggs/wedge :3

nOTP: her/ignis, her/prompto

Random headcanon: she’s ace!! everyone in ffxv is ace!! but her especially!!

Unpopular opinion: she’s not my type :/ as cool as she is, i can’t really like her all that much just cuz badass lady characters aren’t my thing.

Song I associate with them:

Favorite picture of them: this one mermaid design of her!!

-

Cindy

Fav thing about them: i guess i like her enthusiasm to her work and the fact that despite prompto’s crush on her, she didn’t end up being just another love interest in a pointless straight relationship. we’ve got enough of those already.

Least fav thing about them: she makes me uncomfortable…for obvious reasons i think…like game, was that really necessary?? did u really have to do her like that??? did u really have to do her dirty in front of her (grand) dad????

Fav line: “now, which one’s the prince?” *cue noctis popping up from behind the regalia with his lil miqote cat ears n tail* she doesn’t have a lot of good lines since they’re mostly about fixing cars n stuff

OTP: nuthin romantically!

brOTP: her and prompto! i feel like they would have made a great sibling/sibling-like relationship and i think it’s really cute that their last names mean gold and silver :3

nOTP: her/prompto romantically

Random headcanon: dunno if i have any that i would stand by too strongly but i do like the idea that she’d have some muscle, especially in her arms! i mean she’s a mechanic so it’d make sense, right? maybe at least a little beefier than prompto. she could probably carry him bridal style.

Unpopular opinion: she…. lowkey scares me :(

Song I associate with them:

Favorite picture of them: i don’t see a lot of art/pics of her but i really like this one cindy recolor mod! the black and blue look really nice :D

[igaynis]

hello tell me about ignoct/hormlet parallels

heheh… okay…

so we have the obvious parallels, of course.

hamlet - prince whose father was killed by relative. horatio - closest friend and chief confidant who keeps level head 

noctis - prince whose father was killed by relative. ignis - closest friend and chief confidant who keeps level head

and also how the stories progress. hamlet figures out who killed his father after seeing his ghost then he’s taken away. noctis figures out who killed his father, is taken away but it’s the crystal and magic that does that.

of course, there’s parts that are different definitely but the base is there.

now the part that gets to me, always and forever, would be in hamlet’s farewell and noct’s farewell at the end of episode ignis verse i.

(for the sake of clarity i’ll be paraphrasing shakespeare’s writing)

HAMLET

Horatio, I’m dying. You live on. Tell my story and my cause to everyone.

(NOCTIS

Luna and you guys brought me this far, and now I’m on my own.)

HORATIO

Don’t believe it. I’m more like an ancient Roman than a Dane. There’s still some of this wine. [He picks up the poisoned cup]

(IGNIS

Uh, no. You won’t be going alone. I’ll–)

HAMLET 

On your manhood, give me that cup. Let it go! By heaven, give it to me. [He takes the cup from HORATIO] Oh God, Horatio, what a bad reputation I’m leaving behind—because no one knows what happened. If you ever loved me, then avoid the sweet relief of death for a while, and stay in this harsh world long enough to draw painful breaths and tell my story.

(NOCTIS

No, you’re right. I mean, I wouldn’t have made it all this way without you guys. Why stop now? In the end, I might not have you at my side, but I’ll always have you in my heart. Thanks… Thanks for everything, Iggy.)

yeah this mostly speaks for itself

another close similarity wold be in the part when Osric makes his appearance once hamlet returns. there are bits where Hamlet asks Horatio what he’s saying. of course, we can’t forget that in FFXV Noct often asked Ignis for help in political speaking which he happily gave advice to.

there’s probably more to it all that hasn’t come to me but my pinky hurts u_u

[thechocoboos]

last one I promise: ffxv but in space?... OK I'll admit I'm starting to run out of ideas. have a nice day and good luck with school!

holy fuck i went way more crazy with this than I planned. so have fun. Keep in mind, y’all, this is a space au–things are defo different than the actual plot. also: happy ending

FFXV IN SPACE HC

The Regalia is a small prototype ship made for small trips to and from space stations and moons

Noctis’ father is the leader of a massive space colony circling a dimming blue star

Their space colony is running out of resources and energy as a result of a longstanding war with The Empire, a corporation that grew too powerful back when space travel became big and now aims to take control of every colony, resource, and inhabitable planet in the galaxy

so Regis sends Noctis and Co out on an expedition to build alliances and find potential resources that the Empire had overlooked

Noctis is a drifter who doesn’t want to take over his dad’s colony

Gladio is a soldier, a bodyguard in training for the leaders of the space colony. His family has always worked closely with the colony’s founders, so he was raised to follow in the footsteps of his ancestors and to protect Noct

Prompto is a lower level settler of their space colony

He ran into Noctis during their school days and latched himself to Noct like a leach (Noct never minded and even grew to like Prom)

Ignis is still an advisor, albeit a SPACE ADVISOR

He is well versed in most, if not all, of the known alien languages and settlements (he spent so much of his schooling learning languages that he dreams about learning them–granted they’ve become more of nightmares by this point)

He guides Noctis on their mission to find resources and build alliances, giving advice such as “Do not try to navigate that asteroid belt” and “stay far from the Black Hole of Ostenbar–many civilizations were lost there”

Granted that advice is always ignored, but hey, it’s the thought that counts!

One day on their expedition, he mentions rumors of a ship called The Oracle–a ship that opposes the Empire

Supposedly, it started out as a simple rescue ship that grew bigger and bigger and soon became a massive self sustaining ship that travels around the galaxy helping those in need

Noct and Co. realize that it may be their first step towards building alliances and aim to find The Oracle–it’s their first tangible mission

The Oracle, if you hadn’t already guessed, is run by Luna

She and her brother, Ravus, inherited it from their family

The Oracle had many run ins with the Empire as a result of its good deeds, and Ravus grew tired of the pain inflicted on both his people and his inheritance due to those assholes

He knew he could never deal with the Empire directly, especially while handling The Oracle, so he left the ship in the hands of Luna and ran off

He fell in with a group of good-natured space pirates and now raids the Empire’s smaller ships with his small, growing fleet and gives the resources he obtains from them to those who need it–kind of like a robinhood of sorts

(I’m expecting some SpacePirate!Ravus spin offs in the future–i’ll even take the transcript of pirates of the caribbean except with ravus and in space)

anyways

Ardyn is a strange deity who was once worshiped on a more primitive, jungle based planet

His planet is hot, humid, and full of bright, colorful creatures. Some of them are poisonous and deadly, and others are docile and harmless

His people made beautiful buildings of stone with carved designs and everything they made was otherworldly and beautiful, there wasn’t a single item of theirs that wasn’t art in one way or another

They made the most beautiful songs and their language was magnificent and elegant; it was as though their voices were woven from the stars

Keywords? Made. Was.

The Empire found him one day and found his immense power very beneficial

They captured him and his worshippers, turning the worshippers into slaves and science experiments while they used torture and abuse to control Ardyn before turning him into the High Commander or the Empire

They brainwashed him into thinking it was Regis’ colony that had done him wrong, and he has it out for Insomnia Space Colony ever since

It takes a metric fuckton of cycles for Noct and co to finally find The Oracle, who is very willing to join the Insomnia Space Colony cause (my god is that a mouthful or what)

Sidenote: Cor is pretty high up on commanders from Noct’s colony, so he was out conducting business with other settlers at the far end of the galaxy

After the destruction of Insomnia Space Colony, he managed to get hold of Noct on The Oracle and relay the news

It leaves Noctis and the others crushed

They end up lost for a little bit, uncertain what their goal should be from then on

One day, however, The Oracle receives an SOS call from that same dimming star that Noct’s colony had orbited

The Oracle takes them there, and they find many, many survivors

The Oracle takes those survivors on board without a single word, and as Noctis sees the remnants of his people’s suffering at the hands of The Empire, he swears to bring an end to those fuckers as long as he lives (cue his new reason for living)

ANyways

Noct and co.’s favorite pit stop is a small colony on an asteroid called Crash Comet

It’s run by Cid, an old alien friend of Regis’ and his granddaughter

It’s the nicest gas station, diner, and mechanic outside of their solar system

They visit it regularly, especially after Noct learns how to fly the Regalia (he can’t avoid those asteroid belts even when he tries)

Gladio once asked why Prompto was with them on their expedition bc he genuinely had no idea why the kid was there

Gladdy was there for protection, Ignis was their walking, talking adviceman, and Prom? He had no idea

Prom lowkey didn’t know either, but he just held up his old lil camera and said some BS about being their historian

In reality, Noct really just brought him bc he didn’t want to be stuck in a tiny spaceship with Ignis and Gladdy alone, besides, he knew that Prompto always wanted to see the galaxy outside of their colony

They have many run-ins with Ardyn and The Empire–it always ends in a massive chase scene through the stars, a disappearance in a hectic asteroid belt, and another trip to Crash Comet

Noct, Iggs, Gladdy, and Prom have a blast on their space adventures

At least, up until their colony is destroyed

Still, they meet aliens from all walks of life and eat strange alien food at strange alien gas stations on the edge of the galaxy and make friends everywhere

They make alliances as they go, building up their own army of settlers, colonists, space pirates, and aliens alike to rise up against the Empire, with The Oracle heading their fleet

Prompto takes so many pictures that he ends up with a massive database of things ranging from aliens, planets, stars, flora, fauna, selfies, weird poisonous glowing bacteria–you name it, he’s got it (after their adventures he actually finds scientists and alienologists asking him for his pictures for research and references; our boi makes bank on his pics!)

Ignis tries every single different cultured cuisine he can get his grubby lil gloved paws on and he will eat ALL OF IT. he has been poisoned by the clashing chemical makeup on more than one occasion (but he still won’t stop)

Noctis hates trying new culture foods, like he goes for some of it but if Ignis tries to feed him one more Glockinshnid’esiria throat casserole, he’s going to vomit

Gladio towers over a lot of alien species they meet, but he also looks like a penny next to some of them (he lowkey feels insecure about it)

Gladdy likes to trade work out regimens with some aliens

He once tried working out with the very gruff, muscled Kleeverprongs, a species known to eat the muscles of their dead to become stronger and who begin weightlifting at 3 months old (he threw his back out and couldn’t walk for a week)

Prompto tries to steal small alien pets but Ignis threatens to throw him out the back of their cruiser if he so much as looks at one more Puffelzingor.

He once hid a small mouse like rodent in his shirt for three weeks, but it escaped and ate through one of Ignis’ prized pots (it’s one of the more expensive ones that can handle stardust and the harshest of acids)

Ignis hasn’t forgiven him yet. And he probably never will.

Sometimes Noct and Co. cross paths with Ravus

Ravus usually screams about them being the ones who got his sister tied in even further with the bloody empire and being the biggest thorn in his ass

There was one time where Ravus was thought to be dead in the middle of space, and none other than Noct and Co. rescued him (he had lost an arm and been abandoned by accident. Space pirates aren’t very bright sometimes)

He was less aggressive towards them afterwards, especially because he was stuck with them for about 2 and a half cycles (roughly 3.67 months) because the nearest welcoming outpost was at least a good hundred stars away

ANyways plot stuff:

So, throughout their journeys and travels, Noct and Co. slowly learn about some of the Empires more hidden histories and ties with differing colonies

They learn more about Ardyn, how he was essentially a tool used by the empire

THey actually travel back to the planet that Ardyn had been worshiped on and end up learning even more

At first, they thought he had just been a leader of some strange planet, but when discovering he was essentially a god? Oh boi, they were faced with a big moral dilemma

Noctis still wants to bring down the Empire, but now, he also wants to help Ardyn and Ardyn’s people

Gladdy is against it, of course, saying that Ardyn had still done terrible things and was still a terrible person who should pay for his actions

Noct mostly disagrees. He thinks Ardyn needs to pay to a certain degree, but to him, it was more important that they at least try to free his people and attempt to get the truth out there

He argues that it really wasn’t all Ardyn’s fault, that he was nothing more than a pawn who had been manipulated and lied to for nothing but selfish reasons

He doesn’t want to help Ardyn, necessarily, but he does want to make things right

It was truly at this point that his friends began seeing the leader that Noct truly is

Noctis and Co. were never really able to convince Ardyn as much as they tried; he was past the point of simply believing things

Still, he made a deal. A snarky deal with a smirk and teasing tone to his voice, but the look in his eye had been enough to give them hope

He told them, that if they were able to find his people and set them free, he just might be willing to strike up some sort of deal that would work out for both of them

Cue montage

The space bros go through hell and back trying to find out what happened to most of the worshippers

They break through and destroy so many Empire outposts and institutes that they probably single handedly cripple part of the Empire

Even so, with how hard they work to find out where the worshippers were, they had to ask for help

They asked both Ravus and Luna for help, as well as some of the more trusted allies they had made through their journey

In the end, they find that most of the worshippers had been killed. They manage to rescue those who had survived, and bring them to Luna’s ship for safety

They’re beaten and bruised with fearful eyes and they spend most of their time praying–it’s all they can do at this point

It’s heartbreaking, and it truly reminds Noctis and his friends that they weren’t the only ones who had lost their home

Luna and Noct both promise the worshippers that they would be brought back home when it was finally safe, but no one knows when that will be

The next time Noctis crosses paths with Ardyn, there is no snark in Ardyn’s voice–only the serious tone of a man who had lost everything

He demands that Noct bring him to his people, his voice harsh and sharp as he snaps. His eyes are furious and his stance is dangerous but Noct remains calm and tall, his eyes cool as he talks Ardyn down

Ardyn agrees to go with Noctis alone, he agrees to relinquish his weapons and trickery–all he wants is to see that his people are safe

The others aren’t happy, the air is tense in their cruiser as they return to The Oracle. Gladio silently fumes and Ignis is ready to pounce any second.

But Ardyn makes no moves. He waits, his heart still, his eyes sharp–he could be walking into a trap, and he knows it, but he doesn’t care, not if his people are there

Luna is respectful when Ardyn boards her ship. She doesn’t show any ill will despite what he has done–she knows he had been tricked, and she knows that all that really matters to him are his people. She respects that.

She leads him to the worshippers, and the second his eyes fall on them, he smiles–truly smiles

He feels relief, hope–glee

They look just as stunned as he is, their eyes wide and sparkling as they drop to the floor and bow

He only tells them to stand, speaking in an old, dead language that even Ignis doesn’t know

He asks them questions, touches their cheeks, their shoulders, their hands… He’s so gentle and careful, no one else can believe it

As they finish answering, he thanks them with a warm, soft voice, promising he’ll get them home safe–that they will all go home safely and that he’ll join them, that they will rebuild their beautiful civilization once again and no one will ever hurt them again

He turns and looks at Noctis, his eyes full of cold murder as his fury burns. He asks when they’ll launch their full attack–because he wants in. He quietly vows that he will bring down the empire–every last ship, even if it kills him.

It only takes a few more cycles for everything to be ready.

There are at least a thousand ships that come forward to help fight. Their alliances hold true to their words and promises and join The Oracle, bringing their own smaller allied ships and friends with them

Ravus brings at least 200 ships full of space pirates with a new, shiny arm at his shoulder

Noctis contacts older allies that his dad had made, as well as the hundreds of new ones he’s made through his travels–and those allies bring their own, as well

Luna has age old promises that are being fulfilled, her oldest contacts coming forward from the deep recesses of space to help fight the Empire

Even Ardyn pulls some strings, pulling a few of the Empire’s allies over to their side–after all, many of them had been loyal to Ardyn alone, in the end

With the Empire spread over so much of space, it isn’t a clean, straightforward war (then again, most aren’t)

The war lasts 81.7 cycles–nearly ten years. Strategies are stretched, lives are lost, people were worn down, but Noctis never wavers

In the end, the Empire crumbles–losing far too many of its ships and colonies, especially as the civilizations it took over rebel and fight back.

Eventually, there is only the head colony left–and Noctis’ side easily corners it.

Noctis isn’t alone when he approached the leader of the Empire. Ardyn goes with him, his losses just as valid as Noctis’

The leader begs. He cries, yells in desperation, falls to his knees and simply weeps–asking for Noctis to have mercy.

Noctis is cold as he responds, simply staring down the old man. He’s gotten what he wants–the Empire’s downfall. Yes, the leader needs to pay for his crimes, but he doesn’t care much for the logistics of that–so deciding punishment falls to Ardyn.

The details don’t matter too much–the Empire fell, Noctis was able to rebuild his colony around a new star, The Oracle was free to help the civilizations that had been under the Empire’s control, Ravus and his space pirates became the police of sorts–protecting people from unsavory sorts in space, and Ardyn was able to return to his home with the remainder of his people

Space was free again, its planets and civilizations free to return to run their lives as they pleased

Edit: Things I forgot to mention™

Arenaea is space’s local lesbian space pirate whose fleet was actually hired by Ardyn somewhere down the line

She was actually notorious and was a big rival of Ravus (they crossed paths on more than one occasion)

She’s lost a couple digits and a foot, as well as an eye in her pursuits but replaced them all with cybernetic implants (her eye can actually see in infrared, very handy in space)

Her cyborg foot has a built in high heel

She’s one of the most dangerous enemies and one of the best allies to have

No one crosses her and lives to tell the tale (unless she wants them to)

Insanely good strategist and is one of the best allies Noct has in the war

You can hear her loudly walking down the metal bridges of ships when hunting down mercenaries and criminals, her cybernetic foot and high heels clanging loudly (she likes to scare them--she could move quietly with no effort at all)

Anyways so weapons right

LASERS LASERS LASERS LASERSSSS

Ignis’ weapons are duel blades ofc, however, they’re HEAT DUEL BLADESSSS

With a click of his thumbs he's got some lasers shooting down the edge of his daggers and ready to burn the guts of his enemies as he stabs them (it’s pretty good at cauterizing wounds so his slices and jabs are well placed for instant death)

Gladio??? Yes, he still uses those massive as two handed swords. No one can rip that away from him

However

They, too, have laser capabilities

He keeps two laser pistols on either side of his belt for when they’re fighting in smaller quarters  

Y’all haven’t lived until you’ve gotten a mental image of sweaty gladio with burn wounds from laser rifles and holes in his tanktop shootin a couple of laser pistols with his beautiful manbun-ponytail thing and 10-year gap hair chillin out there, mouth turned down into a scowl as his sharp eyes aim

He also has a couple of electric cybernetic gloves that stun enemies with a single punch

Now. Noctis? Listen. He doesn’t use lasers--too much of a hassle

Our boi has a few cybernetic implants, kay?

Y’all ever played mass effect? His magic is basically like the biotics of mass effect

In other words, he still has magic, it’s just sci-fi magic!

His swords are made out of the sharpest metals one can find, and they glow because 1) I say so, and 2) they were forged from radioactive materials and stardust from the heat of a dying star because that’s how we do things in S P A C E

NOW PROMPTO

HOOO BOI MY LORD SO MANY LASERS

S O  M A N Y  L A S E R S

He’s got a laser rifle, he’s got a laser sniper, he’s got bullets that electrocute, bullets that explode, bullets that burn, grenades that stun, grenades that blow up, grenades that disintegrate only organic forms (helpful in space ships tbh)

He has a good trusty ole missile launcher type of weapon that launches concentrated laser ball missiles at shit

Also he’s far sighted.

Anyways; prom is always making modifications to his weapons (and gladio’s pistols) and is always the one to repair or alter the spacebro’s weaponry

He once smacked Noct for trying to fix a sword and somehow damaging its mechanics

Prom actually makes some serious cash fixing weapons at outposts and such, he also buys cheap weapons and bulks them up before selling them for like three times his buying price

He’s actually the most well-off out of them further down the line and he’s the one who brings in the credits throughout their journey because he’s the only one with some sort of income

Also i forgot to mention

Noct loses a leg in the war and gets a cheap prosthetic to tide him over until the end; then he gets a hella cool cyborg leg like Arenaea

Ignis does NOT go blind, however, he loses an eye in a fight with some space pirates who try to raid The Oracle and ends up with an eyepatch for a while

Later on, he gets his own cybernetic implant eye--it’s a lot like Arenaea’s actually

It glows red and the metal covers the area around his eye completely, reaching around towards the side of his head and disappearing beneath part of his hair

Ravus’ right hand pirate is an android

Gentiana is also an android

Cor punches Ardyn in the face the first time they meet during the war--yes, he does know that Ardyn is on their side, now

Cor was the one who found many of Ardyn’s worshippers and brought them to The Oracle

Also Cor is a cyborg

[fierycosmos]

FFXV: Ignis Meeting his Date

Ignis is in charge to some degree over the ball currently going on – to celebrate the announcement of Noctis and Luna getting engaged (though mainly celebrating Noctis’ last night of bachelorhood, as Luna is not present). The ballroom was lavish that met all his expectations and the staff was acting according to his strict instruction. This night was important and he would not settle for having anything go wrong. He made sure to have the food to Noctis’ liking, due to his picky palette it wasn’t anything grand, but Noctis certainly looked pleased to not have too many vegetables present. Without picking up on it, a lavishly dressed woman made her appearance known with the clicking of her heels and the shine that exploded from her sequin-covered outfit. Behind her was Angela, who was asked to come, and on the invitation it was issued that everyone could be a plus one, and with (boss’ name) being freshly divorced, Angela was the rightful next choice. Though it did not make being (boss’ name)’s assistant any easier being at such an extravagant event where many of her peers floated around her. Angela knew she wouldn’t be able to enjoy going to this event, despite knowing the possibility that she may not ever be able to come to such an event again. Quickly, Angela is ditched as her boss went to socialize (&flirt) with people in her circle. This left Angela standing off the side, left people-watching as she knew no one else but her boss and knew she was not needed when her boss was amongst her closest friends and clients. For the most part, Angela didn’t mind staying mainly to herself, as she found every person she laid eyes on fascinating to scrutinize silently or admire their radiance as they shone much brighter than her. She had just finished her bubbly drink, trying to wash away feeling like a wallflower. A staff member came by to take her empty glass and offered her another, but she declined politely. As soon as he stepped away, a new figure appeared in front of her, almost too close for comfort. She sighed, as she was disappointed to find the only place to go was backwards and her back hit the beam that surrounded the dance floor. She suddenly felt trapped, not only by the close proximity but also by the strange wild look that stood out prominently in his eyes. It was a man that she could tell was a bit older than her, maybe by five years. He was dressed regally and of high caliber – and this added to her feeling intimidated, but also bewildered that someone like him would approach her in ay way. “What a beautiful lady you are, and yet you’re alone?” “You flatter me, sir. I came with my boss, I am here as a courtesy to her.” “Well then, would you fancy a dance to buy your time? Someone like you shouldn’t be sitting alone in the corner like this?” “Someone like me?” “A lady of obvious beauty, and I’m hoping grace.” “Again, you flatter me too much, sir.” “And sadly, I wouldn’t say I’m well-versed in dancing.” “Come now, you are too humble.” He compliments, laughing lightly. “Unfortunately, I am not joking.” She tries to smile, but she feels it probably looks like a grimace, but the man showed not being fazed by her demeanor. “I fear I would be at a loss out there.” “Not with me leading you.” He grasped her hand in what he must have assumed was charming, but Angela found creepy, she stiffens in her hold, and at her body language he tries to pull her closer to him – which she certainly didn’t want. She felt like she was pleading for her freedom and felt very defensive and overwhelmed. “I am positive you could find much better company – and grace – from another guest here.” She tries again to dissuade him. “And yet, here I am. I choose you.” He insists again, taking a hold of her other hand she had thought she could keep out of reach. As she was forced closer to him, she could smell a hint of alcohol seeping from his breath. She gulped silently as she felt she was approaching trouble. “B-but, sir…” She muttered out feebly. “It’s just dancing.” He practically yanks her this time, and his move made her abruptly slip away from her safe zone and immediately out onto the dance floor. “Come, I’m a great lead.” He boasts as he grasps her hand tightly, almost too tightly for her comfort. Then his hand travels to her hip and it brushes her hip roughly, which also caused her discomfort. His movements are not that graceful either, as she feels as though thanks to the alcohol he ingested, or due to not knowing how to lead well in general – that she would be yanked around the dance floor in a clumsy manner. She worried how she looked to the other guests here and felt some eyes begin to bore into her back. Out of the eyes that find their way facing Angela and her horrible dancing companion, Ignis is among the peers that took note of such abnormal behavior. He sees also the displeased and wary faces of the other guests. His perfect plan was about to go up in smoke if such a man continued to perform so inadequately. After his eyes glance over the entire venue, he settles his glance at the distraught face of Angela as she looks at the man - obviously showing discomfort as the man almost flings her around. He excuses himself from the party he was associating with and slowly began making his move towards the dancing duo. He had hoped he wouldn’t have to intervene, but even as the song ended and a new one was about to commence, and it was clear Angela was trying to excuse herself as politely as she knew how, the man was having none of it and didn’t seem to hear her. She was thrust into his embrace once more and Ignis’ pace increased when one of the man’s hands was getting too exploratory to prove to be proper at such an event.   Angela is left in the man’s incapable arms and being led in a waltz, or what she understood was a waltz by the other dancing couples, but had no clue given by the man leading her. Through her discomfort, she knew she didn’t want to make a scene, so she plasters on a pensive smile – now making it her mission to only plan on dancing for one more song, with what could be the rest of her night if she could have it her way. Sadly – for Angela – the man continued to show his overtly confident side, which she didn’t understand originated from, as the number of peers looking at them apprehensively gradually increased. What made matters worse was his hands beginning to wander, no longer hiding behind a fake modest façade and wanting to be more forward with his actions, mannerisms, and speech. Whatever he was saying to her, she did not pay mind as she was now completely focused on keeping her cool – not wanting to break down in front of all these people especially at a palace held event – and to escape as soon as possible. She thanks the Six when she hears the orchestra finish the last remaining chords of the number they were performing, and everyone stopped as they always did to applaud the fabulous works of the musicians. Again, Angela makes it her mission to move away from the man, and yet again she is confronted with him trying to make a move near the end of the song to keep her near by and in his peripheral, but is halted from bringing her in for another song with Ignis approaching and swiftly taking a hold of one of Angela’s hands in his gloved one. “Excuse me, might I have the honor of dancing with the lady?” “Yes.” Angela says while the man gives a firm “No.” Angela looks over at the man incredulously and speaks up again with another and more deliberate “Yes,” and squeezing Ignis’ hand in appreciation and acceptance. “But, we’re not done yet.” The man speaks up, unsatisfied with having his play-thing taken away from him so quickly. “Yes, you are.” Ignis insists as he pulls her gently away from the man’s grasp while tightly undoing the man’s grasp from Angela’s side (leaving red marks on the man’s hand) *the song changes and Ignis glides Angela away from the man to the beat of the new song* *Angela takes a big sigh of relief and smiles genuinely for the first time that night* “I don’t know how you knew, but thank you for stepping in.” “Perish the thought, his behavior was absolutely inappropriate.” “I’m sorry I could not step in sooner.” “The fact that you did is enough for me.” “You don’t mind dancing with me, do you?” “Not at all, as you actually asked and waited until I answered.” She praised with a smile he returned. “Apparently, such common sense was over his head.” She though aloud more bitterly. “Sadly, not everyone who is invited here goes through a screening based off their personality.” Ignis half-joked, though he was considering making that an official decree based off the man’s behavior, who thankfully disappeared from sight. “If you have any say, I think that would be a great ruling.” Angela joked along. “If only such a feat was so simple.” Ignis sighed, as he continued to glide the two across the floor with exquisite grace. “Though I suppose bringing it up to Noct would not be a horrible misstep.” “Noct?” Angela tipped her head to the side, showing her confusion. “Why Prince Noctis.” “Oh, I had no idea.” She blinked at him, surprised that such a dapper young man was friendly with the prince. Not that she knew the prince personally, but she pictured him having a contrasting personality to Ignis’. “And yet you asked of my influence.” He inquired. “As a joke I assure you.” Angela laughed, which earned a genuine smile on Ignis’ face to return. “Noct, huh?” She quipped, finding it nice that the prince seemed human now, now that she knew he had such a nickname. “It’s relieving to know that the prince ha surrounded himself with people like you.” “People like me?” He pursued with interest. “Intelligent, a great sense of common sense, heartfelt.” Angela listed, though she said the last detail more quietly, as it came out of her mouth unwillingly, though she couldn’t deny the truth of such a compliment. “I can’t accept such flattery.” Ignis replied acting bashful, and slightly surprised as to be referred to as ‘heartfelt’ – and hearing such a compliment from Angela made him smile more than before. “You are too kind and give me such credit.” “Still, I believe I’m a good judge of character.” She acknowledged, wanting to emphasize that she meant what she said and she believed he should hear it. “If only I knew how to avoid such ‘bad characters.’” “Sadly, only practice can teach you such an ability.” Ignis commented, and then something caught Angela’s eye that caused her to direct her attention off of Ignis for the first time since they began dancing. (Boss’ name)’s outfit was very reflective with sequins and the light suddenly caught it in such a way that the light drew Angela’s attention. And to Angela’s surprise, (boss’ name) was dancing with the stranger who practically harassed her to dance with him before. “Yeah well, my boss (boss’ name) sure keeps some strange company.” Angela commented as she directed Ingnis’ attention to said boss with a nod of her head. “Miss (boss’ name)? You’re here with her tonight?” Ignis inquired. “As her assistant, it was nothing more than guaranteed.” Angela explained, though feeling a lot less upset with the predicament now that she was dancing with Ignis, and she smiled to herself before continuing with her thought. “Despite not knowing what to do here, as I’m not an avid goer of events such as these.” “Again, another instance of where practice makes perfect.” Then as the two began to share another smile as they glided across the floor to the rousing music, something had caught Ignis’ eye. She peered at him curiously. “Speaking of, sadly, I believe I’m needed.” Ignis gestures over his shoulder and Angela follows his line of sight and sees a disgruntled Prince Noctis. With one last spin he led her to the edge of the dance floor and separated from her slightly. “Thank you for taking the time to dance with me” “It was an honor, you are a great lead.” She blushes at her own words, and Ignis smiles kindly. “Another time, then.” Ignis dips his head right before departing. However, before thinking, she reaches out a hand to grasp Ignis’. He halts in place and meets her eyes again. Now realizing what she’s done, she blushes and retreats her hand. She clears her throat and tries to speak. “S-so, there will be a next time?” She asks hopefully. “If you would like, of course.” Ignis smiles endearingly. “I would.” She smiles at his words. “I hate to ask on such short notice, but are you free tomorrow?” He looks back again to check on Noctis and evaluate his time. Deciding on what to do, he digs through his pocket for a card and then writes on the back of it with a pen from his chest pocket. “I have a tight schedule tomorrow – but I hope coffee would suffice.” Ignis admits as he hands her the card. “Please, give me a call and we can arrange a time to meet.” She nods her head timidly but with a sure smile. “I know of a great cafe that brews excellent coffee.” “It’s a date.” She agrees, and then blushes slightly brighter at her choice of words. Ignis on the other hand smiles at her bashfulness, as he too was going to consider the meet up a date too. He was grateful she chose the title so he wouldn’t have to and be ridden with embarrassment if assuming wrongly. “Indeed.” Ignis reaches for her hand once more, startling her somewhat, and swiftly brushes the top of her hand with a chaste touch of his lips. Her face immediately explodes in a wave of crimson. “I’m looking forward to it. Good night.” He dips his head once more before releasing her hand slowly and retreats to his friend. She blushes further as she watches his retreating form. She looks down at the card Ignis had given her and sees his scrawled his cell phone number neatly. She clutches the card in her hand, smiles to herself, and then places the card in her sleeve for safekeeping.       

________

so here's my other "ball setting" one-shot starring ignis this was more tense and dramatic than the other ones i have and i think this made it more fun and iggy even more charming (if that's possible) again like the last post i had with gladdy i just threw in a name aka "Angela" due to adding some specifics but insert yourself as you read and disregard the game also if you have suggestions for a name for the boss lady -- comment below whichever one i like best, i'll put in the story with an edit and give you credit   aside from that let me know what you thought would really love feedback   story belongs to me ignis and ffxv references are owned and were created by square enix 

[cynicaldesire]

Finally played and beat the Ignis DLC for FFXV. It was actually way more interesting to play than the base game. I spend so much time as Noct just warping to shit and holding the attack button. Having some semblance of strategy using Iggy’s spelldaggers was so nice. My husband played Gladio and Prompto’s DLCs. So that’s all of them down.

It was fine. I don’t know that it added anything to the story, although I do wonder how Iggy knew about Nyx using the ring? They weren’t in the city and I don’t know that they ever got the chance to talk to Luna?

There was one point during the alternative ending fight, I kept losing to Ardyn and eventually my husband said “Well, when he’s staggering around like an idiot, maybe you can dragoon jump him then?” So I did. And did like... 99999 damage, twice. Guess I won.

Whatever. It’s done. I also did the FF14 event and that was... also fine. Unlocking a new summon was neato and learning that all the outfits you get are only equippable by one boy was interesting. My husband said Ignis’s run cycle reminded him of Elezen (he plays one) and I was like FUNNY YOU SHOULD SAY THAT.

But it’s done. I can cleanse it from the PS4 to make room for other shit. Like... Sekiro.

[arianoct]

SFW Prompts

1.       Reader snuck a baby chocobo into the apartment (or prompto did, I’m down for whichever) now somebody is in trouble.

2.       Reader is a Kingsglaive; and for the love of all that is good, they’re just trying to do their job. Stop flirting with them.

3.       Somebody was just diagnosed with a serious illness.

4.       Mafia au

5.       Chocobro (Or Cor, or Ravus, or whoever) is infected with the starscourge, you have to kill them.

6.       The first and only time Luna ever tried alcohol.

7.       Failed hiking trip (and the person that rescued you).

8.       Activist reader hates Lucian royalty (seriously the poverty outside of Insomnia is insane) but oh boy does Noct love them.

9.       Reader broke Iggy’s glasses during a training exercise, cue miniature heart attack

10.   Obligatory royal ball fic.

11.   Prompto trying (and failing) to play matchmaker, you tell me how you want it to end.

12.   You secretly brought home a great dane but now he’s drooling all over Ignis and the secret is out (I might not do this one if prompt 1 has been done).

13.   Witch hunter/demon slayer au (yeah I know ffxv has demons but imagine a witcher type scenario)

14.   What finally pushed Aranea into leaving the empire (not a reader insert)

15.   Rescuing the boys from an imperial base (you totally went John Wick on them and now even Gladio is a little scared. Regalia is trashed.)

16.   Teaching Noctis to ride a motorcycle but then Ignis shows up and everything goes to hell because you are not allowed to put the only heir to the throne of Lucis on a two-wheeled deathtrap, thank you.

17.   Unplanned pregnancy reactions (Can be full of fluff or angst depending on your request).

18.   Ignis was too focused on getting Noct to sit right in the seat and he crashed the fucking Regalia (to this day Prompto will not let him live it down), sure hope someone knows where to find a hospital outside of Insomnia.

19.   Gladio convinced (kidnapped) you to go with him on one of his morning drills (I’m so sorry).

20.   You bought a camera to follow Prompto around with in order to try to teach him a lesson about asking permission to take someone’s photo, but now he’s acting like a god damn supermodel and your plan has backfired.

21.    Ardyn never meant for you to become infected with the starscourge, but here you are and this is gonna hurt.

22.    Ignis didn’t sign up for a spouse that doesn’t eat vegetables, he’s got Noct for that.

23. Ignis helps a newly blinded reader adapt to their new lifestyle

24. Everyone in the crownsguard is trying to prank the marshal but you might have gone a little too far and now you're being hunted down by the immortal, God rest ye poor souls

25.   Feel free to request any or request something else!

[spectreblanc]

Why Episode Ignis SUCKS!

So, here I am.

Episode Ignis is morally corrupt AND bad for the gaming industry. I'm serious. This kind of catering to the fans could seriously ruin the gaming industry if it isn't ruined already.

I wasn't originally going to say anything about what I thought of Episode Ignis, and I'm aware that this will probably earn me a steady stream of hate on this blog, but I don't care because I really hate the way Tabata just keeps vomiting out whatever he THINKS we want to see. And when said "vomit" comes in the form of some VERY disturbing themes- not only within the narrative, but in story-telling itself- that's when I just gotta say something.

None of this is fan theories or trying to figure out what's really happened or trying to fill in plot holes. It's clear both endings have plot holes. This blog is just WHAT'S WRONG WITH EPISODE IGNIS AND WHY I HATED IT. And why, in my opinion, it didn't fix anything.

I've compiled my reasons into one little...big blog. Divided into chapters for organization.

(I'm not borrowing anybody's opinions or theories, btw. I wrote this blog before I even knew anyone had similar fan reactions to mine about the alternate ending.)

The date I started writing this in One Note was Dec 14, in case anyone is interested. No? Okay.

So buckle up, and don't say I didn't warn you...

HEAVY SPOILERS UNDER THE CUT

CHAPTERS:

1. IGNIS IS OUT OF CHARACTER 2. IGNIS IS A SELFISH PRICK 3. IGNIS TAKES OVER EVERONE ELSE'S ROLE 4. THE ORIGINAL STORY'S BUILD-UP AND CLIMAX IS GROSSLY OFFSET 5. WHY THE ORIGINAL STORY IS BETTER 6. COMPARING FFXV'S STORY TO OTHER GREAT EPICS 7. BAD MORAL/MESSAGE 8. THIS ENDING IS NOT CANON 9. PURE FANSERVICE 10. LINGERING QUESTIONS 11. OTHER THINGS I PERSONALLY DIDN'T LIKE 12. IN CONCLUSION

Okay, saying episode Ig sucks is kind of shameless clickbait, I admit. The episode proper was actually great and I really enjoyed it. It was compelling, exciting and answered enough questions. The alternate ending part... Not so much.

Keep in mind that most of my criticism is directed toward the Alternate Ending, and from a story-teller's vantage point, but there is a bit directed toward the main episode as well. And this is just STORY criticism. The gameplay elements of Episode Ignis and the visuals and music were great. No complaints there.

So, let's get started!

1. IGNIS IS OUT OF CHARACTER

We're all familiar with the bespectacled, level-headed, pensive advisor that is Ignis Scientia. With his cool logical methods, he is the one the bros- and most importantly Noct- rely on as their anchor. The voice of reason in the medley of chaotic situations which they often find themselves. But, watch out! Throw a magic ring and a prophetic vision into the mix, and he becomes a one-man recipeh for disaster, who's ready to literally burn the world! See what I mean:

-Ignis doesn't use any of the cool decision-making skills we've come to expect from him in the main game. He's all raw emotion and flights of fancy now.

-He's never shown signs of obsessive protectiveness over Noct before. He cares, yes, but one little vision makes him completely lose his ability to examine the situation and think clearly. This is a direct contradiction to everything we've previously learned about his personality!

-The creators of episode Ignis also based the alternate ending on the comradeship that was built up in the story parts that THEY CUT OFF. The close bonds that the bros come to forage during the later parts of the game never happen, thus making their actions (and especially IGNIS'S actions) unrealistic. Remember, all that's happened to the bros at this point is a few hours on the road trip in the regalia, they've captured a few summons, collected a few weapons... Nothing has really happened. No death, no vision loss, Ignis and the others act like the story proper has already taken place.

2. IGNIS IS A SELFISH PRICK

The alternate ending seems innocent enough. Ardyn threatens to kill Ignis, and he has little choice but to put on the ring and defend himself. But it's what Ignis says first that is highly disturbing. Ignis's words are at best emotionally compromised-- at worst, EVIL. Let's listen in on some quotes:

-"This world means nothing to me. Do with it as you wish!" (To Ardyn) (TO ARDYN!!!!)

-"A world without him isn't worth saving!" ??? What about Prompto and Gladio? What about Iris, Cindy, Cid and Aranea, you BLATHERING BOBBY-SOCK??? ...Actually they never make nice with Aranea if this happens, do they... Huh.

-"I refuse to let Noctis sacrifice himself!" Again, "I refuse to do this." "I refuse to do that." Ignis isn't thinking about what is really best for Noct and the others. He's thinking about himself and what he wants or doesn't want. Isn't that Noct's choice? Did you ask him? Ig only wants it to go HIS way. Like, Dude, just because your bud might die, you'll let the world burn? That's not your choice!

And I'm sorry, this isn't self sacrificing or beautiful. It's DANGEROUS for Ignis to be thinking this way, much less get praised for it. He's willing to throw away everything everyone has sacrificed up until that point. Regis, Luna, Nyx, EVERYBODY. Ignis didn't 'rebel against fate'. He acted selfishly without consulting any of his friends, and only by the good grace of Tabata did it work.

-Ignis doesn't believe in Noctis. Regis and Luna both believed in him, but Ignis sees one vision and freaks the hell out. He is like: "No, I will make all these decisions for Noct. I will not allow him to decide if he wants to go through with it. I'll risk burning the world down instead." Whatever happened to "Stand by Me"?

-after he learns of Noct's potential death, Ignis tries to make Noctis discontinue his journey. Even though he knows now that Noct is the only one who has the power to save the world! And just as Noct is beginning to realize how important it is! Just on the heels of Luna's death! He's only thinking that he doesn't want Noct to die because he's SELFISH.

-Ignis treads dangerously close to the same path as Ardyn in the alternate ending and it's NOT RIGHT that he can do the same thing, yet have a better result. Selfishness ALWAYS leads to harming those we wish to protect most.

-I CAN'T BELIEVE THE LUCII FOUND HIM WORTHY OF THEIR POWER WHEN HE JUST DECLARED HE WOULD LET ARDYN BURN THE WORLD DOWN! Sense made: 0%

3. IGNIS TAKES OVER EVERONE ELSE'S ROLE

Say hello to you new protagonist everybody! Ignis Scientia effectively usurps the lead position from Noctis. (And everybody else's positions too.) Watch this:

-Ignis takes over Noct's role of the game's protagonist/hero.

-Ignis takes over Gladio's role as Noct's guardian. He says something like: "I swore an oath to protect him!" No, Ignis. That's Gladio's job. You are a cook, remember? Now be a good boy and come up with a new recipeh for us.

-Ignis takes over Prompto's role as Ardyn's hostage in Gralea.

-Ardyn reveals his true identity to Ignis (a complete stranger) and Noctis never finds out??? Idk.

-Ignis takes over Ardyn’s role as the guy who’s gonna burn the world.

-Ignis takes everyone's role for himself except his own, which was to be the pensive, intelligent and dependable advisor. He totally takes leave of his brain!

4. THE ORIGINAL STORY'S BUILD-UP AND CLIMAX IS GROSSLY OFFSET

-The train ride to Gralea, Noctis coming to terms with Luna's death, finding the strength to wear the ring-- all this character development and story arcs NEVER HAPPEN! Noct just decides on the spot that he's gonna hop right into the crystal and... That's basically it. No doubts or fears or hesitation like he had in the original story. Nope, we skip all the development and cut right to the chase. The previous build-up made him a human, relatable and interesting character. It made us stand up and cheer for Noct. Now, just the sight of Ignis messed up on the ground and BOOM! Skip straight to the ending. Character development and struggles be damned! Such an immediate decision as Noct makes is not only highly unrelated to his character, but doesn't even make for a good story. I don't know how people say it does.

-Everything becomes too easy. Luna's death and Iggy's vision loss stirs up some serious turbulence that the bros have to work out before they continue their journey. All this is skipped in the alternate ending.

-Ignis's vision loss becomes just a tease.

-There's no penalty for using the ring's ultimate power to banish Ardyn for good. Noctis's survival doesn't make any sense. It's kinda easy to defy fate when there's no consequences for any of your actions, eh? Seriously, there's no consequences to putting on the ring and summoning the Knights of the Round to defeat Ardyn and restore light. This is wildly out of whack with every way the ring's magic has worked until this point. (That is: draining life force in exchange for magic.)

-Noctis doesn't die defeating Ardyn now? Just because Ig used the ring on him ten years ago, doesn't mean he's still weakened all this time later. And if it does, then we should just do this all the time. There's no good explanation for this that I've seen.

-And why would Ardyn still go through with his plan. I mean, you can't exact revenge on your own bloodline and the crystal if you're not strong enough to at least take him down with you, Ard.

-Luna and Noctis's "love story" (big fan) is stepped all over. Not that it was well written to begin with, but now her death has no effect on Noctis or anything that comes after. I guess Tabata's no good with commitment to relationships.

-Ignis trying to "change fate" is like saying every other character didn't try to figure out EVERY possible way to save Noctis. Do you think Luna wouldn't have tried to find a way to save her only friend? DO YOU THINK REGIS WOULDN'T HAVE TRIED TO FIND A WAY TO SAVE HIS OWN SON?? No, they were basically stuck-up bigots who were willing to sacrifice Noct because it was convenient. Yep. Not buying it. I mean, Ravus looked for years for another way for Luna to fulfill her calling without spending life force (even selling his own soul in the process) and couldn't do it, and suddenly Iggy just snaps his fingers and BOOM! "I've come up with a new way to fix everything!" Imma call bogus on that one.

-Now the Genesis artwork makes no sense, because Noct never had a blind companion.

-Luna's t- t-...tr...TRUE feelings for Noct are never disclosed via Gentiana/Shiva.

-Ardyn is now on the losing end for the bulk of the game. Horrible dramatization!

-The world of darkness now has reduced meaning because everyone now knows Noct is gonna be back and kick Ardyn's backside in a bit.

5. WHY THE ORIGINAL STORY IS BETTER

I say "story" and not "ending" because it's pretty obvious how much of a change there is to the story, depending on which ending you choose.

So, there's a generally accepted fan theory that Noctis never had a choice in his destiny and was basically funnelled down the path to complete it by the prophecy and/or the Astrals and/or the Knights of the Round. Not going to name any names, of course, but there's this thing that the FFXV fandom says: "Noctis never had a choice but to sacrifice himself. That he was the slave of the prophecy and the Astrals were using him." That he was a victim of circumstance. That it "wasn't fair". Like somehow the prophecy and Astrals were forcing Noct to kill himself.

I've never seen any real evidence to support this. On the contrary, no one is forcing Noctis to do this. The prophecy's not something you can rebel against. A prophecy is just a foretelling of something that is to come. It doesn't force anybody to do anything. In fact, it's only fair that Noctis know what's coming if he chooses to go through with his destiny. A last chance to turn and run from it if he so wishes. In fact, it would be unfair if he had no warning whatsoever.

The magic of the ring is what kills Noct. We know that the more magic one uses, the more life force is drained (see KG and ep Ig). Like simple Physics: what goes up must come down. He who uses the magic must sacrifice life force. That's what magic runs on. (like king Regis ages more quickly as he uses magic to keep up the new wall) It's nobody's fault. As the only one with the power to use as much magic needed to defeat Ardyn, (even the Astrals can't) Noctis has a choice to make. Surrender his life force to kill Ardyn, or give up and run. THAT is Noct's choice.

And he makes conscious decisions to sacrifice himself many times throughout the story. This is what makes our heroes and heroines worth looking up to. Putting aside their own desires and doing the best for everyone.

"I think I can do it... I won't let you down!" He tells Luna.

Still, Noctis had many chances to run. He could have turned from his responsibility and turned back. But he knew his Dad and Luna and the bros and the WORLD was counting on him. By the time he emerges from the crystal we see his resolve. He's made his decision and he'll see it through.   Because only HE can. Only the chosen. By the ending campfire scene and when he takes Prompto's photo as a keepsake, it's clear he'd made his choice. And the bros RESPECT IT. They STAND BY HIM. There's none of this second-guessing stuff or making decisions for Noct.

As for being a victim of circumstance, aren't all heroes?

Ardyn, for one. Here we have an example of a man who could have been a hero, but his jealousy of his brother led him to do things that led him to hurting those he once swore to help. Noctis didn't let this responsibility drag him into the depths of despair and spite like Ardyn did.

The important thing is that Noctis makes the right choice. If he didn't, he would have ended up like poor, corrupted, jealous Ardyn.

As I said before, Ignis treads dangerously close to the same path as Ardyn in the alternate ending, and it's NOT RIGHT that he can do the same thing, yet achieve a better result. Selfishness ALWAYS leads to harming those we wish to protect most.

A direct corruption of morals.

6. COMPARING FFXV'S STORY TO OTHER GREAT EPICS

Seems like a good time to reference Lord of the Rings, since it's obvious Final Fantasy gets a lot of inspiration from there:

For example: It was never Frodo's choice to inherit Sauron's ring of power, but as the story progresses, he learns to accept his burden, because he understands that if he can't destroy it, then no one will. Even as it becomes abundantly clear that it will cost him his life. It's the doubt and fear that Frodo overcomes that makes him a true hero. He's faced with a situation no one would choose, but isn't that how all heroes are made? In the end he chooses to do what's right.

Likewise Noctis: As the chosen King of light, Noctis finds himself in a situation no one would choose. But it's how he handles it-- forces on in spite of everything -- because he knows it has to be done. And like Frodo, he finds himself the only one who has the means to do it. And he does it because it's the RIGHT thing.

And that's the ONLY kind of hero worth looking up to.

Other elements of the two stories match up too, like four protagonists set out on a journey, one with a very special mission, although they all will have to sacrifice part of themselves to see it through. 

Speaking of which, let's take a look at the similarities between the theme songs:

In Dreams, by Howard Shore:

When the cold of winter comes,   Starless night will cover day, In the veiling of the sun , We will walk in bitter rain, But in dreams, I can hear your name, And in dreams, We will meet again,

And now Stand by Me, by Ben E. King:

When the night has come, And the land is dark, And the moon is the only light we'll see, No, I won't be afraid, Oh, I won't be afraid, Just as long as you stand, Stand by me,

As you can see, both songs tell of the world being enveloped in darkness, but the bravery of the heroes spurs them on to complete their task with the help of their friends, because the world and all good things in the world DEPEND ON IT.

And, yes it's nice if there's an easy way out. A quick way to escape hardship and possible death. And in real life this even happens a lot, but those are the stories you never hear about because there's no sacrifice, effort and determination in them. For instance, if the Great eagles were to grab the ring of power, fly over to Mt. Doom and plop it in the lava, that wouldn't be a real story worth listening to.

Likewise, if Iggy were to put on the ring of the Lucii FOR Noctis, and defeat Ardyn halfway through the game, pretty much skipping the journey and the evolution of the characters, then that wouldn't be a good story, would it?

Why do you think you're so heart broken when Noctis finally does decide to sacrifice himself? Because, you got to know him and his friends throughout their journey. Their struggles. You felt like you were actually there through the ups and downs, observing all their actions. Taking part even. Through their hardship you learned to LOVE these characters and care about the choices they make.

That's how it should be. That's what makes every good story GREAT.

Look around. All your favourite stories follow the same pattern. It's not something we can dispense with to make ourselves feel better. It's OUR responsibility not to.

Okay, that got a lot deeper a lot faster than it had to, but you have to see, that Noct's sacrifice is in no way unfair or bogus. It's HIS choice.

7. BAD MORAL/MESSAGE

-So, the message the alternate ending portrays is basically: "Just act irrationally and irresponsibly on your own whims and desires. Without consulting your friends and the people who's decision this REALLY is. Things will come up aces ;)"

-Throw out your rational-thinking self-sacrificing heroes boys and girls, because here's one hot-head who NONE of the rules apply to!

-Heroes are made by the great deeds they do, and the obstacles they overcome. I guess heroes don't overcome their struggles anymore. They just go berserk and look for the quickest, easiest way out. And yay! They find it! What d'ya know. ;p

-The theme of Final Fantasy is not necessarily to "rebel against fate, or the powers that be". The theme of Final Fantasy has always been to overcome your obstacles, push forward and to do WHAT'S RIGHT, no matter the circumstance. No matter what the cost. Even if it's your own life. That's what's always been important about the Final Fantasy games I'VE played. That's the message I've always taken away from not only the Final Fantasy stories, but all great adventures in general. That's the true message to be learned.

8. THE ALTERNATE ENDING IS NOT CANON

-People have noted already that the ending is called "Possibilities" therefore indicating that you can take it or leave it. Like something that might have happened if Ignis had taken Ardyn up on his deal to come to Gralea.

-You can only play the alternate ending if you ALREADY played the first one, which leads one to believe that that's how the game is supposed to be played.

-You're seriously gonna make me invest in a DLC to get the "Canon" ending? (A whole year after the game came out?)

-Square Enix has even confirmed that the ending is not canon, but rather a 'possibility'.

9. PURE FANSERVICE

-Just because fans bugged hard enough for an easy way out. A blatant suck-up! At a time when fan service is butchering the industry! Calling this disaster "canon" is giving Tabata an easy way out of his responsibility. A responsibility to do it right the FIRST time, not just patch all your mistakes later. (If you can call this "patching") We paid for the GAME, not fan service.

-We all wish for that perfect ending where nobody dies and everything turns up roses, but at the cost of proper development, REAL heroic sacrifices and grievances and battle scars, I say NO.

10. LINGERING QUESTIONS AND PLOT HOLES

-So, remember that part when Noctis is lying there on the ground, and Ignis is lying there too and Ardyn offers to take Ignis to Gralea to lure Noctis to the crystal...? The key words were: Noctis is just lying there... Yep.

-What's up with those visions? Luna sending them? There's no way she would send those to him, because why? He's a random stranger who will just freak out and burn down the world if he sees them. It seems only to set up the alternate ending. And that makes me really mad. There's no way Luna would give Ignis the idea to turn from his path. Not after how strongly she and Regis and everybody believed in Noct. There's NO reason Ignis needs to know this. UGH!

-Why does the ring hurt when Ig puts it on? It didn't hurt Nyx.

-Ardyn reveals his true identity to Ignis (a complete stranger) and Noctis never finds out??? Idk.

-Why does Ardyn taunt Ignis (a total stranger) into thinking he's going to kill Noct? What purpose does that serve?

-Why was Ardyn shocked to see the ring in the alternate ending, but in the main episode he wasn't worried?

-Why could Noctis command the crystal so easily in the alternate ending, when it was ignoring him in the main game?

-What happened to the Niflhiem Empire? Did Ardyn still kill Iedolas?

-Why doesn't Ardyn kill Ravus/turn him into a demon? So much for wiping out the bloodline of the oracle. :p

-How come in the original story, Ravus is fooled by Ardyn disguising himself (as Noct),and Ardyn then kills him, but in ep Iggy, he sees right through the fake Gladio?

-And to top it all off, Iggy walks up to Noct at the end and mouths "Your Majesty", which is already starting to spark theories that that was ARDYN! Personally, I don't buy into the theory, but why the tease?????

11. OTHER THINGS I PERSONALLY DIDN'T LIKE

-It was short. Come on, we waited until December for and hour and a half of gameplay? Episode Prompto was way longer and fuller. (And raised a lot less questions...)

-All fangirl squealing aside, Iggy's outfit changes were kinda lame.

-All that money spent on an alternative ending when the main game is starving for patches...?

-Throughout the episode proper, we get dumb clips that intentionally set up the alternate ending. Like those visions and Ravus not dying/turning into a demon. They don't even serve a purpose into the main story.

-The blatant disregard for commitment to a story.

-The voice acting was a bit off in parts. Like, sometimes Iggy is just standing there screaming. Lol

-Ignis didn't come up with ONE new recipe!

12. IN CONCLUSION

-Tabata is spineless!

-Ahem, sorry. So yeah. Everything in this new ending is pretty messed up. The first one had it's issues, but this one to me is 10,000,000,000,872.5 times worse. It's hollow, with no backbone, and plays out like a cheesy fan fic I would pass up on AO3.

-Look, I love sweety, fluffy, nonsensical endings and happily ever afters and shippy ships too, but if Tabata sees the rate at which we're lapping up this sugar and rainbow vomit, he'll wonder why he should even waste time developing fleshed out characters with real struggles and cohesive stories, and we'll be stuck in this cheap fan service HELL forever! And that's disrespectful to true story tellers and well established character arcs everywhere! Disrespectful to the name of Final Fantasy!

-So yeah. That's all I wanted to say. I'll say no more on why I hate the alternate ending, because I know a lot of people liked it. I just wanted my friends to know why I'm won't be hopping up on this alternate ending train any time soon. ^^

Thanks for reading. Stay epic, you guys!