#broody teenager noctis

[savage-rhi]

"no, you didn't just call me 'love' you said 'my love'. that makes a huge difference." Ignis and noct?

Noctis's head was swimming around with so many thoughts that he thought he would drown. The migraine he had carried all day didn't help things. Much less did his posture tamper down the ache as he was sitting slouched forward on a stool near the kitchen island of his apartment with his head laying against the countertop.

Occasionally, Noctis's gaze would follow Ignis as he went about cooking dinner. Tonight was fresh poultry from Insomnia's upper district, along with some imported fruits from Tenebrae. He could smell the seasonings Ignis doused the meat in, and he felt his stomach rumble at the prospects of having a decent meal instead of instant noodles which had become an addiction so bad it would put Gladio to shame.

There was a lot that went through his mind. Assignments long past due, people at school still treating him different because he was royalty, and of course there was a fine helping of guilt as he continued to observe Ignis.

"Can I ask you something?" Noctis near grumbled under his breath as he raised his head from the countertop.

"If it's cheating on your writing assignment, the answer remains a solid no." Ignis said as a matter of fact as he closed the fridge door.

"You're no fun," Noctis playfully mocked. He sighed and propped his chin under his arm. "Why did you call me that earlier?"

"Hm?"

"The love thing."

Ignis shrugged. "I called you love as a term of endearment like I do for everyone else back at the palace."

"No," Noctis shook his head. "You didn't just call me 'love', you said 'my love'. That makes a huge difference."

Ignis didn't reply and kept going through the motions to get dinner ready. Noctis glared all the while, feeling a strange tension start in his throat and working its way down to his stomach. He didn't like it when people weren't direct with him. He especially hated it when his father, the great king himself performed such tactics to avoid a serious conversation he was in no mood to entertain.

Right at the precipice before Noctis was about to explode, did Ignis clear his throat as he began to sauté the meat.

"Let me put it this way," Ignis began. "We've known each other for quite some time, and the simple term of 'love' doesn't quite extend the warmth I want to convey."

"Warmth?" Noctis muttered.

"Correct," Ignis gave a nod and turned the heat down on the meat. "You're not simply my master and I your servant in the same vein as you're not my son and I am not your secondary parent. We're beyond these two points as far as I'm concerned. In addition, by no means are we friends."

"So what does that make us then?" Noctis felt himself getting more confused by the second. He closed his eyes for a short moment only to flinch and open them back up as Ignis gently placed down dinner in front of him.

"I'd like to think of us as brothers, and in my family, we affectionately referred to one another as 'my love' in that case."

Noctis looked between the meal and Ignis, unsure of what to say as he could feel the weight of Ignis's words. He was happy the silence didn't linger too long as Ignis spoke again.

"If it offends his majesty, perhaps I can--"

"No," Noctis interrupted. He shook his head and leaned up further in his seat. "It doesn't offend me, I just--"

He really didn't know what to say, and made a fist when he thought back to his earlier outburst. Ignis didn't deserve the flighty tantrum of a brooding teenager, yet Noctis knew he gave him a taste and then some. However, unlike his father, Ignis stuck around even amidst the chaos.

Ignis wasn't his father. He wasn't Regis.

When Noctis really thought it through, he realized neither man deserved the cold shoulder he had been freely giving to them both.

His eyes began to brim with tears.

"Noct?"

"I don't deserve that." Noctis admitted bitterly. "It's something special, and I'm not--"

"Oh Noct," Ignis sighed. He shook his head and approached Noctis and gave him a pat on the shoulder before he was soon embraced with a warm hug. He smiled as Noctis finally released the sadness that had been building up within himself, and comforted him while he cried.

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[stephicness]

3 & 11 for unusual asks :33

Unusual Asks

3) Which animated character do you feel you most connect with?

The first one that comes to my mind is probably Noctis. I mean...

Tries to impress his family/parental figures but often is disregarded or passed off for one reason or another.

Despite whatever achievements he has.

Lonely kid throughout most of schooling until high school/early middle school.

Hates veggies.

Looks like a broody angsty teenager but is really a giant nerd who makes bad jokes.

Has a complicated love-life.

Is so close to his best friend it is/can be viewed as hella gay.

Talks to himself when he’s lonely.

Likes seafood.

Sleeps alot.

Has an existential crisis for ten years before coming back and trying to suddenly adult.

I can proudly say that I really relate to Noctis.

11) If you could be any mythological creature, what would you be?

A god. UM... That is a really good question because I have the personality of a pissed-off harpy and the laziness of fat unicorn. But if I had to pick... Probably a shapeshifter. Sounds stereotypical, but I’ve never really liked being in my own skin or how I like or, ya know, just me. So the idea of being able to change appearance for a little while and pretend to be someone else for a bit is a nice though. c: Minus the eating the flesh of humans to change appearance and all. Humans probably don’t taste that good.

[d-parnell-futureworks-blog]

Relatable characters are often very hit and miss with video games, again having tragedy and brooding can be all well and good but they often do not capitalise on the recovery from such hardships for the characters. I adore characters such as Zephyr and Vashyron from End of Eternity, Vincent from Catherine and Snake (Along with Big Boss and Raiden) from Metal Gear because they have a massive array of feelings put into them like post trauma, perverse thoughts and temptation, issues with commitment and unbinding amounts of resolve despite their insecurities. They don’t stick to 1 or 2 characteristics and have that define them, they change their beliefs and mentality through the game and affect the world themselves, experiences every single human emotion like lust, humility, happiness ALONG with the tragedy and they feel real. And in addition they all have fairly different body types, Zephyr being a thin teenager, Vashyron being rather effeminate (not as much as the earlier mentioned Noctis but still…), and Snake and Raiden being just as vulnerable and hilarious in awkward situations such as being naked in public, very humbling traits that isn’t shown on so many other characters who are shown to be perfect with no flaws other than the broodiness. It is important to capitalise on EVERY aspect of a human when you create a character, be they effeminate OR masculine, bulky or skinny or sexual preference and I believe these characters have ALL of those aspects.

[justtryintolevelupdude]

Character Analysis

Okay so I’ve been a little off the map for a while (school is a lot, but life is even more lolololololol) but anyways here’s a few things that have been floating around my mind

Prompto, although funny and goofy and not quite as strong as the others, is fully able to take care of himself. From what we’ve seen in Brotherhood, he essentially took care of himself as he grew up and when he set goals, he very much achieved them (namely the weight loss, and joining Noct on his journey, where he had to at least have a small amount of training to even begin). Prompto is a stronger character than a lot of people like to see, I think, because he hides behind such a positive and cheerful exterior. The fact that Prompto even wanted to come with Noct even though he knew damn well that he wouldn’t necessarily be as strong as the others (because he hasn’t trained for literally his whole life like Iggy and Gladio) is a testament to his resolve. 

There’s just this whole level of selflessness and love between Noct; Prompto, on some level, is willing to literally die for his best friend and is the only one out of the group that actively chooses to accept this fate out of his own accord (it was established that Gladio and Ignis were trained for this role pretty much their entire lives, and although I think they choose to defend Noct out of their free will now, that may not have always been the case). I think this has to do with Prompto assumably growing up as a very lonely kid (which I feel like was canonically established somewhere??) and really having no other solid plan for where his life would go as a young teenager, then he becomes good friends with someone who is literally fated to die for the betterment of the world and figures that, hey I may not be able to do much in the grand scheme of things, but I might be able to prolong the inevitable, or at the very least, make things a little less heavy when we get there. 

A lot of what Prompto does is lighten the mood when things get tense or scary, which is a reason that Noct and him are so close. No one else in the group really does that without Prompto saying or doing something first. Because Noct tends to be a very dark, broody person, Prompto provides a bit of light in the heavy situations they’re faces with. And I think Prompto knows this, which is why he only rarely brings up the things that eat away at him. Prompto has a lot of misgivings about his role in the group (and anxiety, and the weighty secret that he’s from the same place as the enemies they’re fighting and he was literally going to become one of themt) and tells Noct of them rarely (the only occasions being that one time on the roof and after the whole chapter 13 debacle), which I think are moments in which Prompto wants to know if Noct still wants him along in their journey. Prompto doesn’t want to be a burden on his friend who already has the weight of the world looming over his head as a death sentence. Noct validates him, however, which gets him to continue on with renewed strength. 

I imagine that Prompto has nightmares about Noct telling him that he’s a liability. They’re frequent, so much that he has one or two backup plans for if it does actually happen (although he honestly has no idea what he’d do without Noct, so they’re just empty plans). 

I don’t think Prompto has much else going for him in his life, which is why he is so adamant on being helpful and staying with Noct through his journey. Noct is a significant part of his world, and to lose that would mean losing direction in his life (which then makes an ending in which the boys survive while Noctis doesn’t much. harder. to. take.) 

TL;DR- I love Prompto and he is so much more than just goofy comic relief/the child of the group 

[domesticfluffsimulator]

Noctis really didn’t strike me as “cold and distant” in english, but I find it kind of interesting to discuss actually, because I have another experience of this. I played with the french voices because it’s my mother tongue, and only discovered the english version through tumblr because that’s the language people use here. As for the japanese version, I only tried it for like 10 minutes and I didn’t quite like it because I prefer to play in a language that I understand easily, so I can’t tell if it makes a big difference.

So that’s my perspective, and, well. I have to admit that discovering the english version was really weird at first, mostly because I wasn’t used to it and all the references I had suddenly sounded different, but also because it felt a little... off? Compared to the french one? Like, most of the things I saw people laugh about - the new recipeh thing is the example that comes first to my mind - was a surprise to me at first because the french version manages to makes the sentence feel very natural. 

Now, I can say that french people have a real tradition around this kind of things. We tend to voice everything in french, from movies to tv shows to animation to games. It’s something that’s really ingrained in the way we consume culture. And FFXV french voice-actors are big names. Huge names. I’ve recognized gladio’s voice the second he started talking and I know every other voice-actor from somewhere else. And it’s something that we share with Japan, who also has a huge culture of voice-acting in animation and games.

And like, I know Ray Chase has a lot of experience, and I’m not saying he didn’t do a good job (I personally think he did an amazing job especially in emotional scenes, he carries so much feelings, it works extremely well), but I wonder if the US really have the same kind of long tradition in this field? And that might be why the english voices feel weird to me? You’re just not as used to it as we are?

And so, going back to Noctis (I’m so sorry I speak too much orz), I created my own mental picture of him in french, so when I discovered the english version it didn’t really shape my understanding of the character. Voice-acting aside, there is a number of things that give us a glimpse of his personality - the video games, the cat-feeding, the fishing - and these things shows a much more complex character than just some broody teenager, and I think the voice acting alone can’t really change his personality entirely. 

But if there’s something to say about it, the english version feels to me as less natural and a little bit more dramatic at times, and I guess it has something to do with localization and the way the american audience approaches the concept of the hero in general. Movies theories that I won’t dwell into have talked about how the american cinema focuses on the main character and what he accomplishes, on the strength of the individual. So chances are that, in translating the game, the US version got influenced by this history, and turned Noctis into a main character that looks more like other american main characters, with much emphasis on his duty and destiny, making him appear more serious and mature.

Which means that, going back to the video, I’d disagree with it on two points:

First, that the english version of Noctis doesn’t and can’t sound like another Cloud or Squall, who are both japanese heroes. It makes no sense to think that, in an attempt to make him more appealing to the US audience, the translation team made him sound like another foreign character. At best, Noctis would sound like another Jon Snow, for example. A young man with a sense of loyalty to his people and trying to do the best he can, sometimes failing to do so, that does seems like him, I think.

And second, well... the it’s obvious that entire game and Kingsglaive are both heavily influenced by american culture. Kingsglaive is your typical hollywood movie and FFXV’s first part is a roadtrip through fictional Arizona. So if the voice acting makes Noctis sound more american it’s... good? Absolutely not something that the translation department should have tried to avoid? 

Honestly I don’t know if I’m right at all, it’s true that it would need more research and I don’t have the time for this so I’ll settle with this very long rambling. But I think there might be much more interesting things to explore regarding this question than “is Noctis too much like Cloud”

Hold up. I’m gonna put this on blast.

Did we play the same game? What part of memelord gamer who is 100% about selfies and gets excited about fishing is remotely like Cloud OR Squall??

Nomura wanted a fresh character for the franchise, And that’s exactly what the localization team gave us. He’s a sassbaby who is king of naptime, awkward flirting, and just wants to be a lazy 20 year old kid. That’s it. He doesn’t have his shit together, Not until WELL into the story.

You don’t have to like Noctis, but if you’re going to rip into him and tear apart his character between localizations, perhaps do a little more research?

[bambis-selfshipcrew]

Light Up the Night Sky: 1

Aurora Lilium was new to Insomnia, and let’s just say she should’ve paid more attention to who her future King was. (In other words, how Noctis and I first met!)

I couldn’t say I wasn’t nervous, starting a new school and all. But I also wasn’t one of those who feared change either. To be honest, I just needed to get through the first day. I was tired of feeling ‘new’. I just wanted to fall into place -- if I could. Insomnia wasn’t a bad city. I had moved here with my family this past winter from a small town in the outskirts of Lucis for my mother’s new job. It wasn’t so bad, I had met a few people I could expect to see at school this morning.  ‘Here we go,’ I thought to myself as my brother pulled into the parking space. Janus grinned at me as he turned the car off. ‘I can’t believe he can still smile this early in the morning. Then again, he is the sun.’ “You ready Bambi?” My nose wrinkled at the childhood nickname. Even though we were teenagers he still thought it was a good name. ‘It’s cute, like you and your big ol’ doe eyes.’ He’d say as always. I sighed, grabbing my backpack. “Ready as I’ll ever be.” I adjusted my skirt as we stepped out of the car, eyeing the large building in front of us. There were still plenty of students milling about, which meant there was enough time to figure out where some of my classes were. Getting in the school was kind of a blur. I was never a morning person though, and tended to space out. Especially if Janus was with me. Janus babbled about the various after school activities and what he wanted to join (Crownsguard Reserve Training Corps, of course) and about gossip he had already heard about the school. He nudged me. “Hey, are you even listening?” I blinked up at him. My answer was obvious.

“I was telling you how to get to your homeroom and how you need to be on your best behavior since the Prince is in your grade.” His tone was teasing, but Janus meant it. Our family now worked for the royal family. I nodded once. I wouldn’t mess this up for my family. I couldn’t.  Janus grabbed my shoulder gently before I moved. “And most importantly: Make friends and be yourself, okay Aurora?” Our eyes locked for a moment, the same crystal green color that our father had, and I smiled. “Always. Bye Janus!” I waved, running down the hallway towards homeroom, He smiled back, waiting for a moment before turning and heading to his own class.  The worst part of being in a new school? Having to introduce yourself to everyone and at the beginning of every class. I internally groaned as my math teacher called my name, asking me to introduce myself and tell everyone an interesting fact.  “My name is Aurora Lilium, I have two older siblings and one younger.” I wanted to sit down after that, but the way the teacher glared made my spine stiffen. “Uhm, well...” Shit, why is it that I suck at talking about myself? This was the worst. “I swear I’m usually more eloquent than this.”  A small laugh was heard from behind me, but before I could even look back, the teacher rolled her eyes and told me to sit down. Apparently, that was my interesting fact. Works for me: I quickly sat down and started scribbling along to the lecture.  Class went by fast, whether I understood everything or not, and I was packing my things to head out for the day.  “Hey, new kid!” I spun on my heel, eyes wide at the person who stood before me. Then my eyes slid over to the person beside him. He was blonde, thin. He had blue eyes and freckles and a smile that could’ve challenged my brother’s. I blinked.  The other had dark hair, shadowed eyes. His expression was curious, but indifferent. Both seemed to have followed me from math class. Did one of them laugh at my remark in class? “Don’t have to be a deer in headlights, sorry if I scared you!” Blondie’s smile never left his face, though I could see that he was genuinely sorry. I smiled, fiddling with my backpack straps. “It’s okay, I’m just... a little nervous, first day and all.”  If possible, his smile got brighter. “Been there done that! I’m Prompto and this, of course, is Prince Noctis!” He gestured towards himself and his friend. “Oh, Prince?” I tilted my head, “So like... you’re popular or something?” Prompto’s jaw dropped a little and I saw a tinge of a smile on Noctis’ face. “You... you don’t know Noct??” Prompto seemed almost offended. My smile turned into a small frown. “Am I supposed to?”  Prompto blubbered, “Well, yeah I mean he’s the p--” “Popular guy. Yeah, that’s me. I guess it’s the broody look.” Noctis cut him off, shrugging. I perked up immediately, giggling a bit. “Brooding seems to be the type people go after these days, yeah.” I agreed. The three of us soon fell into a walk together. With classes being over, it was only sensible to go outside. “So what brings you to Insomnia?” I looked over to Prompto. “My mom’s job. She works in the Citadel as a magic historian for the Hall of History. The King picked her himself, apparently.” I was bragging a little, but hey, my mother was amazing. Also...maybe this would get me friends.  “Whoa, that’s awesome!” Prompto exclaimed. Noctis seemed amused. I figured he didn’t talk much. That was okay.  “Mhm, I think so too.” I nodded. I adjusted my backpack straps. “So where are you two off to?” “Arcade.” The answer was immediate. My interest was immediately piqued. “There’s an arcade? Can I come?” “You’re not going anywhere, Bambi.” I heard Janus mutter from behind us. Sheepishly looking over my shoulder, I saw my big brother with his arms crossed. “Or did you forget about mom’s celebration at the Citadel?” I smiled and fidgeted with my cardigan. “I didn’t forgeeeeet, just... Misplaced the date.”  Janus was not amused by my attempt to recover. Prompto and Noctis however, were very much so.  “Don’t encourage her.” Janus rolled his eyes, not sparing them a second glance before turning on his heel. “If I get in the car before you, you’re gonna walk home.”  “Bye guys!” I shouted, hurrying off to follow my brother. He wasn’t kidding -- Janus had actually left me at school before. Now Aella, our older sister, was not happy, but she was not around to help me out right now and I didn’t know Insomnia well enough to get around. _____________________________________________________________________ Parties are more nerve wracking that the first day of school, I’ve decided. As I stood there with my mom and siblings, fidgeting with my dress and feeling absolutely out of place. I was a teenager, not a royal or a noble. Which most of these people were -- or at least were in the Crownsguard or a Citadel employee.  Well, that did fit my family now, I suddenly thought, staring off towards the paintings and art that were so proudly displayed in the Hall of History.  “Your Majesty!” My mother greeted, and my head immediately turned and bowed at the sight of King Regis Lucis Caelum, the very man who insisted my mother move to the city for this position. His smile was kind, and his eyes reminded me of someone -- perhaps someone I saw in passing today, but no one I knew too well. A bit of deja vu, I suppose. “Hello, it brings me joy to see you here, Celosia.” King Regis smiled, then introduced himself to each of us before setting his eyes on me at the end. “And you must be Aurora, then.”  I nodded, trying to hold myself still. “Yes, your majesty.”  “Oh, please, Celosia, I insist your children refer to me as uncle or at the very least with less formality. You are apart of the Citadel family, and I look upon you as my own.” The genuine nature of his tone and the humor hidden in his face almost made me laugh. It made me snort instead. My mother looked over, mortified. My face burned.  “No need to be embarrassed, my dear.” He told me gently, “I am not an all powerful being, merely a person chosen by the Six to rule as best I can. I can handle being laughed at. My son does it all the time.” “Alright... Uncle Regis.” I managed to get out, and a wide smile came from him. It seemed to please him greatly, and the approval made me relax. “So, Aurora, tell me, what excites you about your mother working here?”  He seemed fairly interested in me and not my siblings, but then again I remember Janus telling me the Prince was in my grade. Perhaps he was hoping I could be his friend. “To... be honest,” I started, glancing up where I saw stairs, “I grew up with my mother telling me of the ancient goddess Etro painting that was stored here and of the intense magic presence it gave off. I don’t know if that’s true but --” “You’d like to experience it for yourself?” He finished for me. I smiled sheepishly, not knowing what to say. He was right, after all. Janus snorted softly. King Regis turned towards the stairs at the entrance, “The mystic painting you’re searching for is up there -- it is restricted, but for one of my favorite nieces,” He winked, “I’ll make an small exception for you to make your own conclusions.”  I could hear him laugh as I took off, holding my dress as I bolted towards the stairs. I couldn’t believe he was allowing this -- but I wasn’t one to take things for granted.  The noise from the party drifted into the distance as I climbed up the stairs. The warmth from the bodies and lights started to wear off and I felt chills starting along my arms and the back of my neck. I made my way to the top of the stairs, anticipation and excitement running through my veins.  I stepped into the empty, dimly lit room. The ceilings were high to accommodate the only painting displayed here: Etro herself.  My vision blurred around the edges, my eyes fully focused on the painting before me. A hum filled my ears, loud enough to drown out the party’s distance atmosphere. This feeling was... incredible. A mysterious but harmless surge of power drummed on in my veins, amping up the excitement I was already feeling from being allowed to see her. Could I get any closer -- “Hey! Watch out!” A hand grabbed my wrist, snapping me out of my trance. I stumbled backwards. Without realizing, my body had moved so close to the edge of the floor where a railing stood, effectively keeping most people out. I... had almost fallen over the edge. “Whoa...” Awed by the fact, looked up at Etro’s face. It was almost like she was... calling me to come to her. “Amazing.... Guess the legends are true.”  The same voice caught my attention again. “Uh, you okay there? You shouldn’t be here, this area is -- Aurora?”  I looked up, finding dark eyes wide. “Noctis...?” He was dressed handsomely. Suddenly I understood why he’d be popular. He looked good.  “I knew you’d be here, but not in this area.” He sighed, scratching the back of his head. “Come on, we should get back down to the party.”  I looked back towards the painting, “But --” “We can come back later, no worries.” He assured me, holding his hand out to me in an awkward fashion. I bit my lip and took it gingerly. Noctis led me back down the stairs and the sound of the party got louder, and the lingering magic (if you could call it that) had settled under my skin.  “Noctis, my son! I see you did find our dear Aurora.” King Regis came striding over, his kind smile never leaving his face. My mother and brother were close behind, looking concerned. Had I been gone that long? “Sorry I didn’t mean to --- wait, did you just say... son?” I looked between the king and Noctis. My mother must have looked mortified at my lack of understanding, but I could hear my brother’s laughter as I spoke next, looking at Noctis.  “Oh shit, that’s what Prompto meant by prince.”