#ffxv

[phoenixwithapencil]

Gilgamesh makes stupid jabs at Gladio, I’m realizing. Gladio’s not afraid of dying. Not afraid of battle. It’s living to see Noct die that terrifies him.

The tempering grounds don’t pose a new challenge to a man designed to be a one man army when push comes to shove. So when Gilgamesh makes jabs at Gladio about coming to the tempering grounds to die or asking Gladio if he has the mettle to survive- it doesn’t land. He hasn’t come to die, and he *won’t.* it’s not even a question. I think it would’ve been worthwhile to focus on Noct- or all three remaining bros. Show visions of them in the vesperpool, outnumbered by skeletons and reapers. Show illusions of Noctis, just ahead in a losing battle against bulettes. Or through a wall of bone-like stalagmites fighting a red giant but the katana to make tbe stalagmites dissipate takes noct with it. Or have noct yell for Gladio from the next room.

Noct, always running ahead, Gladio, just a little too slow to catch up, to keep him safe, always just a little too weak to beat the next enemy quickly enough. Even if Noctis isn’t here- it’s him all the same. And he’s in trouble. And Gladio. Can’t. Do. Anything.

It’s just- there are a good number of ways to really dig at Gladio’s fears about not being a good shield and dig at him for fucking off to a ditch to eat cup noodles and punch daemons and demigods for a week and Gilgamesh’s ‘boy who lived, come to die’ bit Isn’t It

[rojaceartandgaming]

gladiolus amicitia if square enix had managed to actually use his potential in the main game

I love a character raised to be a weapon as much as the next guy. But what really gets me is a character raised to be a shield. Who can’t fathom being needed—or even being wanted— beyond keeping others safe. Who believe they are alive only to insure someone doesn’t die. no matter the cost. Characters who self-sacrifice not because they think they deserve it, but because no one else does deserve it, and it’s their job to protect.

Characters who’ve been told that’s why your important. Your worth something because this other person/ thing is important, and you are here solely to keep them safe.

Bonus points if it’s not a legitimate job they’ve been given. Maybe at one point it was, but now that they are free from it, they haven’t given up that mentality. No one is forcing or asking them to do this, but they need to. They need to in order to be deserving.

[prynacle]

"If only there was a street design shirt thingy of my fave chara" I think as I look at the same generic anime shirts sold everywhere.

And then I remembered I have free will.

[ijju]

30 min lighting studies each; featuring my old FFXV ps4 photos :]

[ertrunkenerwassergeist]

@raven-6-10

Oh, yes. This definitely has the vibes. Especially between the fihrie and the Galahkari.

Random story thought: What if a fantasy story where there's humans and elves, who are less like different nationalities and/or "human, but in a different font", but more like the difference between dogs and wolves? Like they resemble humans, but are very, very clearly not human. And half-elves, like wolfdogs, are known to be theoretically possible, but so improbable and rare that they might as well be a myth. Like everybody's school had that one kid who loves lying for attention who keeps insisting that they actually know somebody who's a real half-elf for real.

And in the extremely rare case where their friend of a friend who's "totally actually a real half-elf" even exists at all, 99 times out of 100, the aforementioned suspected hybrid is just a 100% full human who's unusually tall, beautiful and autistic. Something that can definitely fool someone who's never seen a real half-elf, and is willing to believe that this friend's mom actually for real fucked an elf (instead of getting hunted for sport, and possibly eaten, which is the more likely outcome of encountering elves in the wild). But it's almost always just a full human with vaguely 'elvish' features.

But once in a blue moon, there actually is a real half-elf, and once you've seen one, you won't mistake a full human for one of them again. They're gangly, not just tall but long-limbed in a way that humans are not, their speech is strangely composed as if they learned their first language as a second language, and their eyes are piercing, wild, inhuman eyes, with a gaze full of strange instinctive wisdom that humans were never meant to know. Secret elvish thoughts that even they, personally, wish they didn't have.

And it sinks in to you that elves, that are so alien to you, would also find this poor creature just as strange and unsettling as you do.

[xvandmore]

Other version

[missregality]

Watching the royal retainers chat

[tishawish]

Number 54 with the chocobros ✨

Touch Prompts - 54. Touching cheek to cheek – "Gonna need you to come home soon, Noct."

This started out really cute, idk how we ended up here;; anyway! some WOR prompto at the end of a hard week, month, year,,, Thank you for the request!!

[lunarlegend]

ace icon, Ignis Scientia 😌

[hiddeneosbymrsflowerpot]

Have you ever noticed the birds circling high above Alstor Slough? I wanted to know what they were so I checked them out with Ansel.

They are eagles!

All images copyright Square Enix Co Ltd.

[phoenixwithapencil]

ok ok so- in finally at least watching the ep gladio cutscenes I finally got the damn plot (and I have my thoughts and opinions about that, but that's for a different post)... I want to focus though on the fact that Gladio's ultimate triumph is that he's no longer afraid of if or not he will be able to succeed as noct's shield. And then Gilgamesh says this: "Now, hasten forth— with mind unclouded by doubt and will unmoved by fear. The Last King of Lucis is ill fit to fight without his Shield."

Gladio really doesn't react to this line despite the fact that he totally absolutely should. Because the verbiage is not just 'king' nor even 'chosen king', but 'last king'

Gilgamesh knows something about the future and Noct's fate- that Noctis is going to die. Okay, sure. it's not necessarily that he'll die. there's wiggle room in there. But at the same time, Gilgamesh is all but a demigod, who's using 'last king' the same way everyone else in on the prophecy shenanigans use 'chosen king'. it's doubtful Gladio would take that as a sign that Noct and Luna are fated to dismantle the monarchy. He'd take it as 'noct is fated to die.'

Gladio doesn't get the context of a vision the way Ignis will during his dlc. He doesn't get to know how the man he swore to protect will die.

Gladio's job is to make sure Noct Does Not Die and Gilgamesh is looking him in the eye and saying 'glad you got over your fear that you will fail... but for the record, you will never be good enough. you are destined to fail.'

And then gladio doesn't react at all to gilgamesh's words or the massive implications. because im convinced that the writers room hated this man personally.

[pink-linoleum]

ready-made-to-order

[ertrunkenerwassergeist]

Random thought that entered my head and I cannot believe that I only now thought about it:

What the different nations on Eos consider a polite address.

Most countries go with the last name with their equivalent of 'mister' and 'miss'/'misses'.

Interesting to note here, Tenebrae and Accordo don't have different addresses for women who aren't married and women who are. Lucis does make that distinction, however they also do so for men.

Lucis and Tenebrae also differentiate the social standing, if it is known. Nobility has a different address than the common people. Accordo doesn't take social standing into consideration.

But the most important thing is, again, that they use last names for this. Using the given name is considered rude.

Enter the Galahkari who only have like 25 last names max between all of them. Imagine asking for a 'Mister Furia' and then people are left to wonder which of the 200 'Mister Furia' you mean.

Solution: They use given names. Or given names in conjuction with the last name.

Which means, that if the name is knows to the conversation partner, they get greeted by their given name or their full name depending on context. Imagine going to a business meeting where the person you're trying to make an important deal with addresses you with your given name and that's perfectly normal.

Now imagine the Galahkari doing so in Insomnia because they don't exactly know that you're not supposed to call strangers by their given name.

[mysteriousbean5]

I REALLY need to get better about posting here😞 But if you thought I was gone and moved on from Promptis, then I’m happy to report you would be wrong. Hopefully that’s a nice surprise😊

[burbled-xv]

Based on part of a fic I’m slooowly working on :,) here's a snippet!!

Sure enough, Prompto was already snapping photos. "They totally think you're one of them!"

“W-what are they doing?” Noct tried to tug his wings away from the birds, only to be met with sharp kwehs of protest until he relaxed them again.

"Ah… I believe they're preening you, Noct. Chocobos are social groomers, if I recall- they’re probably expecting you to return the favor.”

“I’m not a chocobo,” Noctis insisted, both to his friends and the birds crowded around him. "I don't even have a beak!" The chocobos didn't seem particularly impressed with his argument, and continued dutifully tugging at his feathers.