#galahd things

[queenoffishingandcookies]

Random list of food items in ffxv we don’t actually get to buy, collected for writing purposes.

Baia di Celluna > Caviar

Jetty’s - Leiden Mountain Springs Mineral Water

Phoenix Orange > Orange Juice Brand(?)

Uncle Randell > Root Beer

Great Glacier Cola

Altissia Tessorod - Seafood Chowder

- crab and fish crackers

- sauce of some sort?

Mama Eden’s > Potatoe Chips

Cotton Alley > Invincible Oats Cereal

Splatz > Tomato Jelly

Thousand Leaves > Tea?

Phoenix Purple > Grape Juice

Ravatoghan Hot Spring Eggs

Jetty’s - Milkshake Powder

RegenCo - Milk (condensed or powdered?)

———

The names were gathered from the prop items you can see on shelves in outposts, or posters and the occasional readable sign. The words are kind of difficult to make out on some of them for me, and other things - like the Thousand Leaves - are just a guess as to what it actually is.

Also, Ebony has a really pretty container.

These are pictures I took of the shop stand at Cartanica, but you can find most of these, I think, at posters around shops at outposts, on the fishing equipment booths, etc.

Please ignore the back end of my cat blocking the screen in some pictures.

If anyone else can read the script on these, and know what some of them are, please tell me, because my vision sucks.

[garbria]

Cor gets to know Nyx and Galahd better.

For Nyx Week day 1, Galahd.

[ertrunkenerwassergeist]

Finally found one of our bioluminescent mushrooms! Giving huge fae vibes- made me think of you. Do the fihrie use them? To lure people astray, lay claim to things in a fairy ring, or lull wanderers to sleep? XD thank you! These are jack o lantern mushrooms btw xD

That is one damn cool mushroom!!

You know, maybe the fihrie use the mushrooms, but also the mushrooms could be fihrie. That would be fun.

They settle in the marshes and bogs. Maybe they're cousins to the Will-o'-the-Whisps. But instead of making you lose your way, the mushroom fihrie (never thought I'd type those two words in that order XD) make you hallucinate.

Or we could make it more body horror and they possess people. Maybe make them look a bit like the zombies from The Last of Us.

Fun thoughts, fun thoughts.

Another fun one!

These kind of mushrooms are a way for the fihrie to lay claim on things. Like a 'no touchie, that's mine!' type pf thing. They could be used to mark and devide territories and if viewed from a bird's-eye-view, they would form a map.

Or maybe they're both. Like a kind of watch dog fihrie in the form of a mushroom. Because why not? And they possess people as a form of punishment, when said people touched something under their protection.

[pockymun]

Maps of Tenebrae by Pockymun

Tenebrae was such a beast. I thought Galahd was difficult; Tenebrae is so much bigger and has continental climates to deal with. Like last time, I nearly lost my mind trying to make sense of the climates, so I kind of gave up.

Most of the writing I've done for FFXV has skirted around Tenebrae, focusing moreso on its politics than the landmass itself. It's been in the background for the most part, largely because I didn't have a proper map to explore with! I copied it the best I could from reference images.

Tenebrae is not as cold as I initially assumed it was. It has a warm ocean current on its western side that brings much rain and warm winds that keep the northern reaches largely temperate. The eastern side of Tenebrae is hit with a cold ocean current, getting far less rain and winds. The fishing is better on the east coast. The southern half of Ulwaat was given a temperate rainforest climate based on what we saw of Tenebrae in Kingsglaive; it had that dark green flora of a rainforest.

I base a lot of my headcanons for Tenebrae off of Western Europe primarily, with a little bit from Northern Europe. The way I figured the latitude lines of Eos, Tenebrae is still well below the subartic circle (assuming Eos has one). It's climate is based upon Ireland, the UK, and Scotland, but those three have only two climates: oceanic and subpolar oceanic. I chose climate terms that best described the forests found in Tenebrae. Because Tenebrae is nothing but forests, mountains, and hills.

Tenebrae is the land of high altitudes and trees. What reference images we have of Tenebrae seemed to have a lot of peaks on it. In the glimpse of Tenebrae that we saw in the movie, there are large rock islands that just float above the rest of the land. While Galahdians have a knack for using magic, Tenebrae itself is a land of magic. These floating islands are unique to its mountains mostly, although a few clusters can exist separately.

Water also seems to be a theme for Tenebrae, with its northern cape, the southern sounds, and a few small bays all around. Where there are mountains, there are rivers running down to the ocean. I imagine there are natural springs all around the country, used as a natural remedy for several ailments.

I will dump my headcanons about Tenebrae below:

I've been talking with @groovytimetravelflower, who has the theory that Niflheim's airships are powered by stones or ores mined from the floating islands. It just makes perfect sense. Niflheim had several reasons to invade Tenebrae: to dominate the whole continent, to establish complete control over trade, and to get their hands on whatever magic exists in the land.

Much of the magic is not well-known nor understood beyond the floating islands. The forests of Tenebrae are old, especially in the north.

The only other country close enough for Tenebrae to trade with is Niflheim. Though Tenebrae has a couple ports of its own, these are not large enough for massive shipyards and international trade. Trading with Niflheim allows Tenebraen trade goods to go farther in the world. The downside is that Niflheim can control all trade that Tenebrae does, taking things for the Empire and blocking imports.

The country is very difficult to navigate because of the terrain. Roads are often winding and go around obstacles; this was done moreso out of the belief that the land could not be damaged by man-made endeavors. Trains have only been established in Ulwaat. There may be a few antique cars, but the most common mode of transportation on main roads are chocobo-drawn carriages, or riding chocobos.

Tenebrae is behind on technology overall: this is a result of Niflheim conquering them so long ago. Niflheim doesn't often invest in the lands they conquer. You can see this in how mainland Lucis has such outdated technology, which was left to languish once the Imperials seized control. Most high-technology Tenebrae is exposed to comes from the Imperial Army and is only used in their operations. Ulwaat is the most developed province. The railroad in Ulwaat was developed by the Empire to more easily transport the stone and ore they mined in the mountains.

The further away one gets from Fenestala, the less modern technology there is. In Morrith, Krahage, and Bruiral, indoor plumbing is a recent technological advancement. Not all places have it; it requires electricity, which is difficult to establish in Northern Tenebrae. Because Tenebrae is such a mystical place and the population is probably very religious because of the Oracle, not a lot of people mind being behind in technology.

Cellphones are unheard of, and you wouldn't get reception in most of Tenebrae anyway. Fenestala Manor probably has a couple TVs, but similarly, reception is terrible. Radio signals come through a little more clearer, mostly because the Imperial Army needs them to.

The architecture of the capital and towns of Tenebrae is Victorian and Edwardian, with art noveau used in Fenestala Manor. Villages typically are full of cottages of wood or stone and roofed with thatch. The typical fashion is also Victorian and Edwardian, although more of the youth have recently begun to wear the modern Western clothing imported from Niflheim. People further north of the Breksos Mountains dress in traditional Celtic and Norse garb.

The Breksos Mountain Range naturally divides Tenebrae into a North and a South. These regions do not strictly adhere to the cardinal directions; it is just what people have referred to it as. Travel through these mountains is especially difficult. There is one passage near Woudoord, but it becomes blocked by snow in the winter, completely isolating the north.

Queen Sylva frequently sent aid in the form of doctors, vaccines, and schoolteachers to Northern Tenebrae. She did a lot to improve the relations across the mountains, although the past few Oracles have never gone north of the mountains. All aid stopped with her death. The Northerners became even more apprehensive of Southerners as they appeared to submit to the Empire.

Northern Tenebrae is even further behind in technological advancements than Southern Tenebrae (ie the indoor plumbing). Northern Tenebrae is very isolated from the rest of the world, especially in the winter. It's rare for a Northerner to travel south, and vice versa. The South views the North as barbarous, and the North view the South as weak. Southerners are prim and proper; Northerners... are not. Both greatly revere the Oracle.

As I said before, Tenebraens are religious, largely in part to the Oracle's presence. Tenebrae has become known as a land of healers, with many practicing natural remedies. The people are generally modest and proper. Victorian and Edwardian social customs still run strong.

Tenebraens are seen as mysterious and exotic to the rest of the world. Niflheim hasn't allow Tenebraens to leave their country since they attacked Fenestala Manor, so it's very rare to see one in Lucis. The rest of the world doesn't really understand the difference between North and South Tenebraens. The differences become clear when putting one of each side by side and listening to the bickering.

-

Feel free to use these maps when writing your own fics or headcanons! I would greatly appreciate being credited. These maps are just my interpretation, and don't stand in for canon material. They are flawed, but I worked with what I had. I made these using Inkarnate.

[sparklecryptid]

Howdy moose! Any oc or worldbuilding you want to talk about?

have some royal bastard au rewrite lore

*holds Luche up*

In the royal bastard au Clan Lazarus comes to Galahd for the same reason they did in my Seer!Luche aus. That being said the curse was not passed down through generations like it was in those aus so now while Clan Lazarus is perpetually cold they dont go mad and spout visions of the future at random. however there are those of them who can catch glimpses of the future at random times and luche is regrettably one of them.

*holds pelna up*

he clocks what ace is immediately. spends the first two years of knowing ace half-convinced that ace is plotting to usurper the throne and kill everyone for revenge. is mildly surprised when he finds himself convinced that the last thing ace wants is any royal responsibility and that ardyn has been trying to get ace to start a revolt for ages.

*holds up axis*

he and ace have an ongoing joke about 'bastard to bastard communication'

[yourlocalmechanism-dr-carmilla]

ATTENTION-

Whoever drew the genius anonymous machinefuckers thing w odin, ulysses, nastya and galahd

PLEASE ADD SIEGFRIED PLS I NEED LMFG

Love them

Smmm

[caparrucia]

Hi there! Few days ago my brain randomly reminded me of Kingsglaive and hours later I ended up scrolling ao3 looking for fics that feature Nyx, any fic, hoping there're more fics for him than the last time i checked (years ago, i think?) and surprised there's a Cor and Nyx ship??? I mean... HOW? And why? But somehow I spent past three days reading your Cor/Nyx fic in ao3. Started with your "flower soulmates AU", classic trope, figured it'd be hard to go wrong with that. First sentence intrigued me, 8000 words later I was whisked away by the imagery, feelings and humor also a bit wistfulness sometimes. And then "glitter and gold". And then "the sun is out, the day is new" It was a JOY to read it! (holding back to read "always darkest before dawn" because, was it discontinued?) Your worldbuilding of Galahd culture (the Walk! the. WALK) it just fills this pockets of imagination for all these cultural aspects we’ve only got tiny glimpsed before. Your words pulled me in and now I am well and truly hooked on this ship hahaha. Just wanna say you're amazingly talented (superpower with words I swear) and thank you for writing about Nyx. 💜

So, first of all, thank you for your kind words and welcome to the CorNyx fandom, it's cozy and fun!

I do want to say I am not and have never claimed to be patient zero for the CorNyx ship, but I did write a fic specifically to infect as many people as possible with my ship because... you know. I'm a writer, that's what I do. :P

Why Cor and Nyx? To me personally because I watched Kingsglaive, watched the speech Nyx gave the Lucii and went "huh, so he's just Cor but younger" and that thought immediately spawned a need to see these two butting heads (and other things!) ASAP. Cor is my darling boy, mostly because he's a shonen action hero that grew up, and he's forty fucking five years old and still wears red sole shoes and three shirts layered like it's cool. He's a moron, I love him.

Nyx is Nyx! Kingsglaive spent so long painting a picture of an interesting main character shafted into side character status - a thing that XV does a lot, in that the bros are all flavor of Main Character, while Noctis is very much refusing the call at every step he can - and I'm so very fond of him.

So hey, let's write a story to chew on the idea and see if I can convince people to ship it. The story was the sun is out, the day is new, and the answer was overwhelmingly yes! And so here we are. XD

always darkest before dawn is and isn't abandoned, in the sense that I realized I needed to rewrite some bits and I might as well scrap it all and rewrite it from scratch but that takes time and I've been drowning in work and getting swallowed by other fandoms in the meantime so it's been a while. I need to get to it because I need people to know what's the deal with Prompto, because it's so good. SO GOOD. I love my boy.

glitter and gold exists purely because of the awesome @garbria, and if you want some quality CorNyx, well. /Will Smith memes. She's got you covered, trust me. /chef kiss

And if you've still got a hungering for more CorNyx from me, I know it's still on going and truth is I update once a year at this rate, but it is my baby and I try my best not to post cliffhangers (or to resolve them quickly, lmao) but you might want to give nature of the beast a try. It's got teeth, for all it's very soft and squishy in its own way.

[raven-6-10]

The original post is starting to branch due to comments from multiple people, so could you post this and tag the appropriate individuals, please? Consider: If Crowe heads straight for the mainland, she misses siblingship with Libs and Nyx, and I'd like to keep that. Hm - maybe Regis is on the islands for Some Reason, and Crowe is - almost compelled to head towards the delegation from Insomnia?

@hamelin-born @ertrunkenerwassergeist

See, the thing is that Crowe doesn't meet Lib and Nyx until she's 14. Which, for me at least, is a bit too long without something major happening in Insomnia because People Are Upset About the Missing Monarch.

(Lucius the Late took throne after 3 years and he was welcomed with a civil war.)

Consider the alternative - Regis allows Crowe to take trips to Galahd regularly so she stays connected to her roots and birth culture, and she meets Lib and Nyx during one of them.

***

On a separate note, the tag #a crown and a name fits much better for Crowe who's normally a Nameless.

[calling4glaives]

It's here! The date and prompts for NyxWeek2023!

Thanks so much for everyone who voted and proposed prompts. We really appreciate your help. Thanks to you, we have a date - June 4-10, and a collection of great prompts. We've organized the highest-voted prompts so that each day has a theme, three prompts, and a color palette, except for the final day which is a free day.

The rules will be the same as last time: write, draw, etc using at least one prompt (or palette!) for the day, and try to post it on the day with the tags #NyxWeek2023, the appropriate day and the prompt, and we'll reblog or retweet as we can, with a summary post for each day and the whole week at the end. If you post late, that's perfectly fine. What we want is more context for Nyx, so whatever time we get it is great!

For easy reference, here are the prompts for each day:

Day 1 (June 4): Danger: Rescue, Captivity, Blades Day 2 (June 5): Power: Magic, Shapeshifter, Storm Day 3 (June 6): Duty: Right Thing, Royal AU, Ring Day 4 (June 7): Companionship: Comrades, Soulmate AU, Home Day 5 (June 8): Ends: Fear, Galahd, Sunset Day 6 (June 9): Hope: Comfort, Hero, Dreams Day 7 (June 10): Free Day. And the hex codes and color names (just for fun) under the cut:

Day 1

#FCF7A5 Calamansi (Yellow) #E3894A Jasper Orange #772037 Claret (Red) #1E257E St. Patrick’s Blue

Day 2

#1C0D0F Licorice (Brown) #2895B3 Cyan Cornflower Blue #5651EA Majorelle Blue #131643 Cetacean Blue

Day 3

#908157 Dark Tan #5C3C49 Eggplant #232740 Yankees Blue #2E3B29 Black Leather Jacket (Green)

Day 4

#6F8D61 Russian Green #9E796C Burnished Brown (Light Pink) #111B21 Eerie Black (Dark Green) #76525E Deep Taupe (Dark Pink)

Day 5

#7AB398 Green Sheen #DED3B3 Desert Sand #1B3937 Medium Jungle Green #1C113D Dark Purple

Day 6

#2E241C Raisin Black (Brown) #646E80 AuroMetalSaurus (Silver) #9E3A24 Deep Dumpling (Red/Orange) #C2A16A Camel (Gold)

Fun fact: each of these was taken from concept art or official art related to Nyx. You'll see each one when we post the day's prompts.

Good luck to everyone! We look forward to seeing what you create!

[awlwren-writes]

Nyx Week 2024 - Day 1 (belated)

Chapter 3. And done (hopefully)

Fandom: Final Fantasy XV Rating: Teen & Up Audiences Warnings: Major Character Death Characters: Nyx Ulric, Selena Ulric, Libertus Ostium, Nyx Ulric, Nyx Ulric’s Mother, Original Galahdan Characters, Additional Tags: Nyx Week 2023, Storm, Shapeshifting, Sort Of, Alternate Universe - Daemons, Alternate Universe - His Dark Materials Fusion, Attack on Galahd, Canonical Character Death, Blitz, Duty, Royal AU, Galahd, Trauma, Canon-typical violence

Summary: But just because it was night didn’t mean he had time for dreams. There was far too much to do just yet.

It’s time to see what Nyx is up to in the His Dark Materials fusion I started with “Comfort in the Shade”. Three snapshots of Nyx growing up alongside his daemon Arete.

Chapter 1: Day 2 of Nyx Week 2023: Storm, Shapeshifter (sort of) Chapter 2: Day 3 of Nyx Week 2023: Duty, The Right Thing, Royal AU Chapter 3: Day 1 of Nyx Week 2024: Galahd, Trauma

This is the chapter for the major character death warning, just so you know. I'm sorry, but I had to do it. T_T

[ertrunkenerwassergeist]

In regards to your Galahd World-building: how would having multiple jobs work, if that’s even a thing for the galakhari? Like could a weapon smith also be a seamstress? What about things like Storytelling and Hunting, are those mutually exclusive, or can someone do that but also be a craftsman or an apothecary or a fisherman of some kind?

Hi there, Anon!

That's a good question.

Galahkari have only one job (aka the thing they earn most of their money with/use to trade). But, as all people do, they have hobbies. So you could be a weapon smith and do fibre crafts as a hobby. Maybe that person will end up selling a few home made blankets because at some point they'll drown in them.

So not multiple jobs, but many Galahkari have hobbies that sometimes earns them a bit of money on the side.

Like, the Colophon are farmers, but some of them like to make alcohol. If they make enough, they sell it. If not, then they don't.

Hunting is a bit of a special case. Most Galahakri learn how to do it, so yes, someone can be an apothecary and go hunting for their own meat no problem. But mostly that's to feed them and their family/Clan and not to sell meat on a big scale.

Storytelling is also a fulltime job. They not only learn all the stories by heart and retell them for the people to hear, the people also come to them for advice. (Basically they're the wise people of the village) But even Storytellers need hobbies. So they can also make some jewellery for fun, or dye yarn, or make furniture or what have you.

I hope that makes sense. Hope you have a great day!

[heartxandxhome]

From here [X]

A dilemma ... that was definitely what this was. She hadn't wanted to leave Galahd, digging her heels in and arguing every possible angle she could, but the whispers were growing and growing from the tipsters she knew on the mainland.

The kindly man named Wiz told her of rumours he had heard; imperial airships on the edges of Lucian territory, slowly moving further and further from the Protectorate northwards, like they were scoping areas. Galahd was a tiny spattering of islands ... but it was alarmingly close to Insomnia on a map. Enough to be seen as a middle finger to the King who had recalled his protection and Wall from the area.

But none of their neighbours had wanted to hear it; things were fine. The hunters had helped set up defences against beasts and daemons. They were learning how to manage. It had been Kaleb to finally convince her they should leave; they hadn't been on good terms in a long time, but she knew he wouldn't fear-monger for no reason.

Hands on her hips, Sarah looked from the flat tyre to Kaleb and then to the haven in the near distance. Why hadn't he checked for a spare tyre before taking the truck the entire way to the ferry? Resisting the urge to pinch the bridge of her nose, she counted to five in her head and gave a small nod, with a mustered smile for Selena. "Come on sweetie, looks like we're getting the full hunter experience."

She didn't even know what she was properly angry with Kaleb; they hadn't been a proper couple in years now, but neither had they called an end to the marriage-turned-volley-of-arguments. It was nearly easier when he chose to stay away for those weeks and months on end, hunting and avoiding home. Moving towards the truck, she shouldered a rucksack and decidedly left the heavier things in the hunk of junk, shooting Kaleb a glare. "I want to call Nyx tomorrow morning first thing."

He would be in Insomnia now, and it made her heart skip a beat with guilt and blame she silently aimed at Kaleb. If he had been around more, then maybe Nyx would have stayed with them? Maybe he wouldn't have jumped at the chance to join the Kingsglaive and put his life in danger just like his father did with the hunters?

"I know what a haven is." She didn't need him talking to her like an idiot; she had been a tipster and knew the dangers of the night. "Just focus on getting word to Dave, you can do that correctly, right?"

@galahdanblade

[pockymun]

Maps of Galahd by Pockymun

I've been writing fic for FFXV for a few years now. One of the obstacles I've run into again and again was not knowing where the characters were at all. This made it hard to plan logistics like travel time, weather, and climates. So I decided to look at what maps we have from FFXV and create my own for the lesser-traveled regions (which is everywhere except Lucis, and even that map isn't that great).

This task in itself was frustrating because it's impossible to tell where the equator and the tropics are supposed to be. The climates of Lucis and Niflheim only confuse it further. If Lucis is based on America, it's pretty far up from the tropics. Accordo doesn't appear a warm enough climate to be in the tropics, either. (Accordo has a very coastal Mediterranean climate; just a note for the future).

There has been debate regarding where Galahd is in Eos. Most agree that it is the islands located behind Insomnia. It makes the most sense because of reaction to Galahd's invasion in Insomnia's news: Niflheim conquered land in Insomnia's backyard, and were knocking at the door. When Niflheim slowly conquered much of the mainland Lucis, nothing was mentioned regarding a reaction from Insomnia.

Being where it is, Galahd should be a much colder climate than what I have it as. It should be more like Norway or Finland. However, the Kingsglaive anniversary artwork depicted a scene with a lot of South/Southeast Asian influences. The proper places of climates never seemed to matter to the developers of Final Fantasy.

In a rudimentary attempt to map the ocean currents of Eos, I drew a warm ocean current that runs westward on the north side of Galahd. This would cause the islands to have a slightly warmer climate than what it should have considering its placement. Logically, it wouldn't be warm enough to be considered subtropical, but I really wanted there to be a jungle climate in FFXV and I think that's what the developers originally intended as well.

On the southern coasts of Galahd, there is a cool ocean current that runs westward. These waters are much calmer and are ideal spots for large fishing enterprises. The warm ocean current in the north brings storms and a lot of rain; the north side of the islands are much wetter.

The climates I described in the climate map are classifications that can be found on Wikipedia. I tried sticking close to climates found in Southeast Asia, while also giving some more temperate areas as well. While much of the material culture is SE Asian, there are some things, such as the braids Nyx and Lib wear, that seem to stem from ancient Indo-European/Iranic influences. There was a custom among one of these people in which only warriors braided their hair.

For place names, I used fantasynamegenerators.com and selected random South/Southeast Asian town names. There are two straits, the oceans, and the seas that I haven't named yet. The map became very cramped with one names I already put on it.

Some headcanons I came up with while working on this:

Galahd's climate provides some challenges to the transportation infrastructure. There is no major roadway nor any major settlement on the north edge of Lhasgar due to the dense forest and the risk of annual floods. Cities and towns are more firmly established further in the island.

When Lucis still controlled the islands, they attempted to improve the infrastructure by establishing major roads and railways. The climate did not allow much leeway for railway, however. Around the same time, Lucis relaxed its control over Galahd and allowed for autonomy.

The most common forms of transportation are by vehicle, bus, or boat along the waterways.

There are cities and towns. These were there before Lucis took over, although they had looked much more traditional back then. Most of the world believes Galahd to be a couple of islands full of small backwoods villages, but they were as sophisticated as any other culture at the time they were conquered, and modernized with everyone else. While modernizing, Galahd had also managed to stick with their traditional culture.

While the map looks crowded, there is still a lot of open land and wilderness. The rivers and lakes shown are only the major rivers and lakes; there are more, just as there would be for any other regional map. Water and wilderness are defining features of Galahd.

The mountain ranges had once been connected, just like how the Appalachian and the Little Atlas Mountain Ranges.

Feel free to use these maps when writing your own fics or headcanons! I would greatly appreciate being credited. These maps are just my interpretation, and don't stand in for canon material. They are flawed, but I worked with what I had. I made these using Inkarnate.

[sparklecryptid]

Royal Bastard au and For want of a nail for the ask game. Specifically, Ardyn never notices Ace during that visit to Galahd so doesn't follow him to see him doing magic.

As though I have not thought about this extensively because it changes the entire thing and most likely the fic would take a MUCH darker turn.

Because the thing is; that is the best possible way for them to meet. It is much better for them to meet somewhere away from prying eyes than it is for them to meet publicly. It is much better for them to lay everything out on the table at their first meeting than it is for them to know that the other knows that they know the plans that the other has.

The two other ways for them to meet that have crossed my mind are uh. Not nearly as good.

(There is a man - barely a man, more of boy than anything - cut through MTs like he is possessed by a wrathful god. There is a man with silver eyes and magic racing through his veins like lightning that cuts through soldiers of flesh and metal alike.

There is a man who locks eyes with Ardyn and snarls with the rage of someone whose entire life is burning to ashes around him.

The man lunges at Ardyn and Ardyn laughs. He keeps the man alive - of course he does - the man is too interesting to let die.

(the other ending to this one is that he does in fact kill ace.))

(the market around them bustles and hustles as Ace moves through it, collecting supplies for the dinner he's been tasked with making tonight. he doesn't notice the eyes on him. he doesn't notice how the crowd stills until hes already run into the solid steel of an MT.

There is a gun at his head in an instant. Ace does not want to die.

He doesn't die because the chancellor takes a look at him and smirks as if he can see the magic leaking out of Ace's body.

"Oh," the chancellor says in front of Ramuh and everyone, "Aren't you interesting.")

[thedarkrose17]

Prompt: "in their youth"

I'm behind but this is for @thepromptfoundry oc prompts figured I'd try to get a grasp on writing my xv oc Xanthe by writing a younger version of her.

I'm not sure if this is depressing or not 😅

Oneshot under the cut

Ares Adler held his daughter’s legs while she sat happily on his shoulders.

“Daddy can we get one?”

Little Xanthe points towards a stall selling meat on skewers.

Ares glances over before looking at his wife, Selene.

Selene smiles and nods.

“Sure thing, my little bird.”

The five year old cheers as her mother turns to her older sister.

“Thana do you want one too?”

The twelve year old says yes in a quiet voice. Athanasia’s always been a little anxious in public.

“We’ll both have one.” Selene says giving her husband a kiss on the cheek.

Ares gives his wife a quick kiss before carefully scooping Xanthe off his shoulders and placing onto the ground much to the five year old’s dislike.

“Daddy doesn’t want to drop you.” he explains, offering his hand to her.

Xanthe takes it and seems to accept that. He’ll pick her back up later.

* * *

It’s been four years since that day, they lost everything when the empire invaded Galahd. No parents, no home, no friends.

They’d fled to Lucis with nothing but the clothes on their backs. It was rough, still is but they manage.

Athanasia gets ready for her shift at some in Xanthe’s opinion crummy dinner.

“Why do I have to come?” Xanthe rests a hand on her jaw.

Athanasia looks at her, in the middle of tying her chestnut hair up.

“We can’t afford a sitter and I’m not leaving a nine year old home alone.”

“I can look after myself.”

The sixteen year old gives her a look that screams really.

“Have you packed your backpack up?”

“Yeah.”

“Are you sure you have everything? We can’t come back.”

Xanthe looks at the second hand Li’l Malbuddy backpack that’s stuffed to the brim.

It’s got everything from cheap snacks and drinks to old colouring pencils and a colouring book that’s still pristine despite being old.

She’d love a handheld console. It'd probably make the hours less dull but Athanasia’s said before that consoles are way out of their price range.

Her sister’s job doesn’t pay well, just barely enough to manage the bills. She’s limited on what hours she can do and some places wouldn’t allow her to bring her little sister with her.

“Why not deliver pizza?” Xanthe asks. “We’d get free food.”

“I can’t drive. We get free food here.” Athanasia replies.

“Just push the pedals and turn the wheel.”

Oh if only it was that simple.

“You have to pay to learn.” Athanasia explains.

“Why?”

Athanasia finishes tying her hair up and grabs her sister’s bag.

“Because it’s just how it is.” she explains. “Come on, let’s go.”

* * *

Xanthe keeps a hold of her sister’s hand, looking around as they walk.

“...Will we ever have money?” she asks, noticing her older sister’s expression shift to something sadness maybe? it’s only for a second.

“I don’t know.” Athanasia admits truthfully.

Maybe one day the astrals will throw them a bone.

[professionhero]

What’s your biggest regret?

(Again going to answer all three)

Glaive Nyx:

Nyx takes in a deep breath. This was a question he asked himself daily, "I wish I could say something heroic, like I wish I stayed and fought for my home...that's not the case though..."

He bit his lips together chewing for a moment before letting out a big sigh, "I regret freezing."

He puts a hand on his bouncing leg to get it to stop, talking about this made him anxious, "I regret not moving to do something when I had a chance. Guess that's why I run in full throttle now. I don't ever want to freeze again."

Hidden King Nyx(Insomnia):

"There's a guy I dated when I first got here. Took me to a lot of places I shouldn't have gone...fucked me up pretty bad..." He crosses his arms over his chest defensively, "Did a lot of things for that man I shouldn't have. Put up with a lot...I deserved better...still have a hard time accepting that."

King Nyx(Galahd):

"I get that question a lot from my sister. She's always pestering me about it. Lena fears embarrassing me and our family." Nyx gives a small smile, "She really shouldn't, she's a great representative for our people. Couldn't ask for a better princess."

"Anyways, not what you wanted to know." He let's out a soft breathy chuckle, "Uh...I suppose I regret not spending more time with my dad before he was taken from us. I was at that age where I was too cool to hangout with the family, ya know? Thankfully I didn't have like one of those 'I hate you dad' moments...was just me being a little shit...then..."

He falls quiet for a moment thinking it over, "...well...he saved my life and lost his...so I guess there's that too...next question?"