#maralith

[superthatguy62]

A comparison of the final chamber of the Chaos Shrine (Clockwise order starting from top-left: NES, PS1, Pixel Remaster, Wonderswan).

As can be seen, the Famicom version has four symbols based around the four elements. From the PS1/Wonderswan version onwards, they are changed to busts of the Four Fiends. The Pixel Remaster seemingly lacks them, although that might have just been the video I was watching.

Dissidia references the busts by having paintings of the Fiends in different corners of the room.

The Memory of Heroes novel makes no clear reference to this. The presence of the busts might have inspired the twist that the fiends were once benevolent, however.

[painted-thumbs]

Some more demons 👿 if this one gets traction I'll post more of my demon paints!

[bgn846]

Old Wounds - FFXV fanfic

Summary: Ignis works to figure out how he can incorporate befriending a maralith into his busy schedule. Noct may have something to say about it, and it might not be good.

Work Text:          

“You can’t be serious?!” Noct all but yelled. “He’s dangerous, you can’t go back. One of those things almost killed me, remember?”

Ignis took a deep breath through his nose and waited to make sure Noct wasn’t going to say anything else.  “I understand that highness, but there is a chance he may come looking for me if I don’t make an appearance soon.”

“I’m glad you didn’t get hurt, I – I don’t know what I would have done if something --,” Noct paused and looked away. “I just can’t bear the thought of you around that thing.”

“Understood,” Ignis replied with a forced smile. After his ordeal with the maralith, Gladiolus, a month ago, Ignis wasn’t in the mood to push things. He’d had enough nightmares to last him a lifetime already, he didn’t really need to add to them.

Gathering his paperwork he stood and exited Noct’s private meeting rooms. Talking about the incident brought back all the memories like it was yesterday. Ignis thought he was going to die out in the field that day. No one expects to come back from being captured by a maralith, especially one that takes you to his cave where no one can attempt a rescue.

Shoving aside the emotions it stirred, Ignis made his way to his next meeting. He’d become a bit of a celebrity since his return. The crownsguard that had survived a maralith attack and lived to speak of it, that’s what people said. The chatter seemed to follow him through the halls, but Ignis was getting tired of hearing it. Noct had been attacked and barely survived. Ignis didn’t hear anyone at the citadel talking about Noct in awe. It didn’t seem fair in a way, the prince deserved recognition for his plight, and he’d been closer to death’s door than Ignis had.

Though nearly drowning and freezing to death hadn’t been a fun experience either, shuddering at the memory Ignis hurried along the corridor. The sooner he could put this all behind him the better. Though, he did feel a small bubble of guilt for having lied to the monster. Offering to go back and see him made sense at the time. Ignis hadn’t wanted to anger the maralith.

No matter how bad it made him feel, Noct was resolute in his opinion. The prince didn’t want Ignis to see Gladiolus again. Praying that the monster would forget him was wishful thinking, Ignis had a feeling the maralith wouldn’t stay silent forever. Sighing heavily Ignis tried to clear his head, he had work to do.

It was one week later that Ignis received a frantic summons in the middle of a meeting. The guard who came to collect him was practically running as they made their way to the kings’ office. All Ignis had been told was something had happened that required his immediate attention. Most of his fears were laid to rest when he was ushered into the space and saw Regis and Noct in attendance along with Cor and Clarus.  

“What’s happened?” Ignis asked once the guard left.

“The maralith has made an appearance,” Cor offered as he stepped forward to hand Ignis a tablet.

“Is this security footage?”

“Yes, from the nearest outpost to his cave,” Cor replied.

“Oh dear, has he hurt anyone?” Ignis couldn’t bear it if the maralith had killed someone due to his actions.

“No, he’s been blocking the road though, and yelling your name, loudly.”

Groaning Ignis ducked his head, this wasn’t how he’d hoped his afternoon would go. Looking over at the prince revealed the young man staring resolutely at the floor. “What would you have me do?” Ignis asked glumly.

“It’d probably be best if you could talk to him, you were able t--.”

“No! I won’t let Iggy go back out there, he could get hurt, like me,” Noct lamented.

Ignis chose to stay silent; he’d already had enough arguments with Noct over this very subject. The battle was not his to win anymore.

“Highness, with all due respect to your past history, this maralith isn’t like any other I’ve seen,” Cor tried with a sad face. “We don’t know what it’ll do if he doesn’t see Ignis.”

“What if it’s a trick,” Noct uttered softly. “What if he just wants to hurt Ignis this time?”

“Son, have you heard Ignis’ account of what happened?” Regis asked.

Noct turned towards his father and shook his head. “I couldn’t, I didn’t want to think of Ignis being attacked like I was.”

“His situation was different than yours, perhaps if you hear what Ignis has to say on the matter you may change your mind. Not all things are in black and white,” Regis finished.

“I know that!” Noct hissed but he still had a hard look on his face.

Ignis was stunned to hear that Noct still hadn’t gotten all the details of what had occurred. The prince had always left the room when he was retelling his story, and Ignis had figured he would at least read the report later. Apparently, Noct had done nothing of the sort and instead remained fearful. It pained Ignis to no end that his friend and liege couldn’t even stand to hear his account due to the suffering it caused. “I’m so sorry Noct, I didn’t think my struggles would cause you such grief,” Ignis added after a moment of silence.

“Whoa! I’m not upset with you Ignis! Shit, no, um – gah!” Noct gave up trying to finish his sentence and threw his head back into the sofa cushion.

“Might you be up for hearing what happened?” Regis asked quietly.

Noct took a few minutes to respond, “fine.”

Without pause, Ignis retold the one part of the story he assumed Noct would care about, the moment where Gladiolus had saved him, first from drowning and second from hypothermia.

“Wait? The snake man actually saved you?” Noct asked incredulously.

“Yes, and I do understand your reservations about me seeing him again, but I fear he may get violent if I don’t make this effort,” Ignis pleaded.

“I’m not sending you out there alone!” Noct proclaimed.

Ignis could hear Cor sighing heavily in the background, along with Clarus. The two were not happy with this new development, but what choice did they have. If Ignis had been unable to win an argument with Noct over this subject then they certainly weren’t going to fare any better.

“I suppose we should get a move on, the longer we keep this maralith waiting the more agitated he could become,” Regis announced as he stood up slowly.

“Hold on, you aren’t going!” Clarus sputtered indigently.

The king laughed humorlessly as he grabbed his cane and began walking towards the door. “If you think I’m going to let my son go anywhere near a maralith without sussing out the situation first, you’re crazy Clarus.”

--

Ignis could feel his adrenaline spiking as he got out of the car nearly an hour later. They’d made it to the checkpoint and Gladiolus was clearly visible on the other side of the fence. It was obvious he could have smashed through easily. For him to hold back was promising.

As he approached the gate Gladiolus saw him and rushed forward, knocking over the guards in his way. In a surprising move, the maralith vaulted his long body over the fence and landed with a significant thud directly in front of Ignis.

The monster didn’t wait for permission this time as he scooped Ignis up and glared at him. Thankfully, this time the hold wasn’t tight and Ignis’ arms were free. The distant cries of people shouting things about being on standby and hold your fire made Ignis heart beat faster. Before he could think of what to say Gladiolus offered his opinion.

“Liar!” he accused while reaching out a hand to lift Ignis’ chin slightly.

“I’ve got a job to do Gladiolus, I can’t come out here all the time.”

“Liar,” he grumbled again.

Sighing heavily Ignis wondered what he could say to appease the giant temperamental snake man. “I’m truly sorry for not coming sooner.”

“Why?” Gladiolus asked as he removed his finger from under Ignis’ chin.

Honesty was the best policy, right? Ignis felt a little bad at having to resort to tattling, but this maralith was too smart to be trifled with.  “My boss forbade me from coming.”

Gladiolus scrunched up his face and curled his lip slightly. “Non scitis sermo.”

Thinking fast Ignis understood that Gladiolus probably didn’t have a need for the word boss in his life. “Uh, master? King?” When the maraliths’ frown turned into a smirk he knew he’d figured it out.  

“Maneat?” the maralith asked as his shoulders relaxed.

“I’m not sure how long I’ll be able to stay, my master gets nervous with your kind.”

“Why?” Gladiolus demanded.

“He was attacked by a maralith and almost died when he was younger,” Ignis replied in a soft voice so Noct wouldn’t hear. The king and his son were only a few yards away. Regis had adopted a somewhat familiar fighting stance, and Noct was visibly shaking.

“Dicite mihi in nomen! Ego nocere esi,” Gladiolus fumed, his frown was back.

Ignis wasn’t sure exactly what the maralith had said, but he was quickly trying to translate. His refresher course in ancient solheimian over the past few weeks hadn’t been for naught. Going out on a limb Ignis repeated what he thought Gladiolus had said. “You want the name of the maralith, right? The one that hurt my friend?”

Gladiolus nodded and balled up one of his fists, shaking it around towards the sky. “Ego nocere esi!”

“You want to do something to them?”

“Malum, hurt,” he finished with a pout.  

“I think it might help for him to hear that, do you think you could put me down for a moment?” Ignis tried to resituate himself, but one of his legs was bent underneath a massive hand and the other was sticking out in between Gladiolus fingers. He must have looked ridiculous fidgeting in the monster's grasp.

“Maneat?”

“Yes, I’ll stay this time, I’m not leaving.”

Gladiolus nodded and then gently lowered Ignis to the ground. His hands remained bracketed around him until he stood up straight. How this monster knew his knees were pudding was a mystery. Carefully pushing the maraliths’ hands to the side he approached Noctis.

“We’re leaving!” he spit out.

Ignis held up his hand, “highness, may I please just ask you to be patient with me? I’d like to tell you what he just said.”

“You can talk to him?”

Nodding Ignis waited for Noct to look directly at him. “He’s just offered to go hurt the maralith that attacked you.”

“Why?!” Noct asked in surprise.

“Would you like me to ask him?” Before Noct could answer Ignis turned around and looked up at Gladiolus. “My friend wishes to know why you would offer to hurt the one that attacked him.”

“Et nocuerunt tua, familia. Non est bonum.”

“What’d he say?” Noct asked quickly as he walked up to stand nearby.

“I believe he’s saying that the other maralith hurt my family and that’s bad.”

Noct looked slightly stunned by that comment. “He doesn’t know me at all, why would he say that?”

“Ignis amans mei,” Gladiolus offered calmly like it was the most reasonable explanation.

“Huh, what does that mean?” the prince asked innocently.

Of course, this was the exact time that Regis decided this maralith wasn’t a threat and strode forward to answer his son’s question. “I believe the maralith thinks Ignis is his lover.”

Ignis could feel heat pooling in his cheeks at the admission. He didn’t know why it would be so embarrassing to hear spoken out loud. It wasn’t like he felt the same way back.

“Um, what? How the hell would that even work?” Noct asked risking a glance that wasn’t anywhere near Gladiolus' face.

“Don’t continue that train of thought Noctis Lucis Caelum. Or I will cook you nothing but vegetables for a solid month.”

Noct clamped his mouth shut and scooted closer as if to say sorry.

“Dicere illud nomine!” Gladiolus requested suddenly as he bent down to look at them better.

“This is my friend Noctis,” Ignis replied as he put an arm around the princes’ shoulder.

“No, nomine alio.” The maralith looked a little desperate.

This time the king stepped closer and repeated their family name. “We are of the family Lucis Caelum. I am called Regis and this is my son Noctis.”

Gladiolus furrowed his brow and squinted at Noctis. “Vultus amo Somnus.”

“Yes, he does look like the founder king, it’s true,” Ignis said calmly.

“No, est Somnus,” Gladiolus energetically replied gesturing towards Noct’s face. “Est Somnus.”

Ignis could feel the blood draining from his face, if he understood Gladiolus correctly that would mean he’d actually seen Somnus in his lifetime.  Since the maralith seemed to think Noct was Somnus.

“Er, Somnus died several thousand years ago Gladiolus. This is his descendent.”

The maralith furrowed his brow and began silently counting on his many fingers. “Milia?”

“Yes, thousands, have you lost track of time?”

Gladiolus nodded and frowned. He seemed deep in thought until Regis broke the silence.

“Perhaps we could move this meeting to someplace more comfortable?” the king suggested kindly.

The maralith immediately straightened up and pointed back toward his cave in the mountains. He seemed excited by that prospect.

“There is a perfectly good outbuilding near the guard station. I believe it would be spacious enough to fit you.”

--

Trying to teach English to a two thousand-year-old maralith was easier than Ignis expected. Mainly because he understood the language already and simply hadn’t known how to pronounce things. Surprisingly Regis and Noct had stayed during the impromptu language lesson. The outbuilding had been large enough to pull their car into so the king had opted to take a nap in the front passenger seat. Noct meanwhile sat in the backseat with the window rolled down staring at them.

Ignis could tell Noct was still nervous, but he hoped it would help to see him interact with Gladiolus in a good way. The maralith had been on his best behavior. It probably helped that Ignis let Gladiolus hold him during their lesson. The maralith’s tail was curled around them both protectively as he sat on Gladiolus' hand like some giant warm squishy bench.

Soon enough the sun had fully set and Ignis knew they’d need to get back home. “I’m afraid it’s time for us to go back to the city.”

“No.” Gladiolus pouted.

“Come now, it can’t be that bad when we leave?”

“Lonely,” the maralith answered.

Knowing he couldn’t promise to come back until Noct had given him his blessing, Ignis thought of what he could say to help make Gladiolus feel better. “Shall we ask the king if I can come back to teach you more?”

“Yes! I want that,” Gladiolus agreed with a hopeful look.

The sound of a car door opening caused Ignis to look over, Noct was carefully walking closer. “Do you promise not to hurt anyone?”

“Et iusiurandum dant, I give oath.”

“No tricks, right?” Noct questioned seriously, looking very much like his father in the process.

Gladiolus shook his head and smiled. “I will see Ignis again, this makes me happy.”

“Okay, I’m alright with you coming out here to meet. Just please be careful.” That last statement was directed towards him and not the maralith.

“Curam, tutum,” Gladiolus added earnestly. “Ignis safe, I no hurt.”

“I won’t hurt,” Ignis corrected.

The maralith beamed at him and nodded.

“Very well, do you think you could tell the guards at the station that you wish to see me without blocking the road next time?”

“Yes, bring me Ignis,” Gladiolus offered with a grin.

Unwilling to correct the maralith Ignis nodded and stood up. “I’ve got to get home and rest, perhaps in a few days you can come to ask for me?”

“Yes, I do that, tomorrow.”

“No, let’s make it three days from now.”

“No lie?”

“No I’m not lying, three days from now I’ll be ready to come back here, just be kind to the guards.”

“I will, go safely Ignis.”

“And you as well,” he offered. Then in a move that would surely be his downfall later, Gladiolus bent down and kissed the top of his head. Momentarily stunned by the action Ignis didn’t do anything as the maralith uncoiled his tail and slithered off. Complete with a devilish smirk. The tricky bastard even turned back briefly just to say ‘amans mei’ before disappearing.

“Ignis, did the snake man just kiss you?” Noct asked a little breathlessly.

“Veggies, Noct, lots of them if you tell anyone.”

“Tell them what?” Noct answered before rushing back to the car to wake his father.

Cor was by his side a moment later, “How are you holding up?”

“I’m – I – shit, Cor I don’t know, this is all very overwhelming.”  

“Don’t push yourself too hard. Take things a step at a time. Not sure what you can do if he tries to kiss you again though.”

“Marshal, six help me, don’t start.”

“I would never dream of it Ignis. I’m here to help. Might I suggest a trip to the archives to see if anyone else has been caught in the sights of an amorous maralith?”

Now that idea Ignis could run with, this had to have happened before! Hopefully, someone wrote down their life story and Ignis would find it. Though he wasn’t sure his luck would run that way. For now, he had a budding friendship with a maralith. Noct wasn’t stopping it and Gladiolus seemed to behave well enough. Time would tell what happened next.  

[straban]

Hi my Friends! :) Maralith Demon D&D character fanart

commission for: Distortion2

email: strabanistvan@gmail.com

http://straban.deviantart.com/

https://www.artstation.com/artist/straban

https://www.facebook.com/StrabanArt/

https://www.instagram.com/strabanart/

[gingermaple]

akdfjaksdfja-

Thanks to you as well rival, for making my first year of Artfight even more fun, trading meme drawings, and ending up as not only a great rival but an even greater friend.

I can’t wait until next year for the Battle of the Cat Memes.

(Also I’m probably still gonna end up bothering you and drawing you memes even if Artfight’s over ùwú)

Art Fight Round 9: For @gingermaple My Art Fight Rival! Thank you my dude for helping me break my revenge chain record, my attack record, for helping me loosin up and meme draw, and for becoming my new friend. I can’t wait till next year!

[suryiel]

There are songs I can't hear anymore, places where I can't be. I can't tell if they're haunted or the ghost instead is me. - Kirk Dietrich

[scarybxnes]

maraliths replied to your post “………… i………… bought the mime doll………….”

mime doll? sounds cute!

He is!!! He is so cute!!!! 

[drathe]

Romanced heroes of Faerun: Original Character Edition

First row: Eneathrae Elen’liina (star elf shaman/unseelie warlock), Naia Elen’liina (half dark elf, shaman)

Second row: Tahirah al Jabiri (Calishite human/ storm sorcerer), Neriah Hassan (Maralith spawn tiefling/assassin), Samya al Hadid (Calishite human/rogue monk) - they belong to @suryiel

Third row: The Gelugon Siblings - Tetius ‘Lazuli’ Luukh (tiefling, sorcerer/frost mage), Iah Luukh (tiefling, sorcerer)

[the-walk-of-weary-souls]

The Prince of Shadows [[FFXV AU]]

In which Noctis has a twin called Erebus, one with whom he would switch places in a political play to make it seem like there was only one prince of Lucis. Together they make up Eretis Lucis Caelem, the sole son of Regis. While neither of them got to choose to undertake this ploy, neither of them minded it. It Allowed them to share the strain of the impending crown, allowed them to live a somewhat normal life whenever the other took over princely duties. Then the Maralith attacked leaving Noctis -hopefully temporarily- paralyzed as well as his father severely injured. In response to this the council seniors throw the duty of Eretis Lucis Caelem solely to Erebus, not wanting to show any weakness. This understandably changes things.

Now injured and scrambling to find his place in the world as his brother tries desperately to hold the full weight of the crown he always shared, the road before them has never looked so uncertain.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Or the only excuse I could find for me to make Noctis interact with the glaives and common folk that actually makes sense. Also for him to be like a badass Assassin like figure maybe even becoming a glaive himself later on.

I'll be honest if I write this it'll probably turn gay, so yeah don't be disappointed I warned you. Dunno which pairing but right now most people are a possibility, maybe even polygamy. Also slightly messed with the timeline just to make things not as awkward.

P.p.s. Erebus is gonna be a big part of the fic, even if it's Noctis central. I refuse to make such an important figure in Noctis's life one dimensional, nor any other oc I incorporate later. Don't get me wrong it will still center around the characters we know and love but I'll still be breathing life into the other characters.

((My ao3 is The_Walk_Of_Weary_Souls by the way))

[larkawolfgirl]

Let the Sirens Sing Me Sleep

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Archive Warning: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Category: Gen Fandom: Final Fantasy XV Relationships: Gladiolus Amicitia & Noctis Lucis Caelum, Noctis Lucis Caelum & Ignis Scientia Characters: Noctis Lucis Caelum, Gladiolus Amicitia, Ignis Scientia, Prompto Argentum

Summary: Noctis Lucis Caelum is tired. He’s always tired. There is a reason he enjoys sleeping so much. Sleep is the only time he can ever truly be free from the weight resting on his shoulders.

Read on ao3

Noctis Lucis Caelum is tired. He’s always tired. There is a reason he enjoys sleeping so much. Sleep is the only time he can ever truly be free from the weight resting on his shoulders. When he is asleep, his mind can let go of everything. He can forget that he hardly ever sees his dad. That the king is dying. That war is on the threshold. That everyone in his life is there because of duty, because of necessity. That his entire life is monitored. That no one outside of the Citadel can be fully trusted. That when he thinks too hard the panic attack is crippling in a way his wheelchair never was.

The prince is tired. Ever since the maralith attack, his body has been weaker and more prone to pain. Curling up in bed is safe and a comfort when no one else can give him any.

Not that Ignis does not try. But there is only so much he can do and only so much Noct is willing to ask of the advisor who already gives so much of himself. What Noctis really wants is his mother back. Unlike his dad, she always had time to snuggle with him on the bed. She would wrap him up in her gentle arms and sing to him so that all he could focus on was her.

But his mother is no longer here, and lullabies are not a luxury for an aging prince, even if Ignis would be willing to indulge him. And so Noctis takes his comforts where he can.

Noctis Lucis Caelum is lethargic. He wears himself thin by day and passes out by night. Even in sleep, he can no longer forget. Nightmares plague him like a sickness. The king is gone, and his dad will never be there to comfort him ever again. No longer a prince, the weight is crushing, to the point that every step takes that much more effort. He’s so tired, so overwhelmed. Each day it only grows worse.

It was raining when he heard the news. Thankful, for the rain hid his tears from his friends. The thunder hid his gasps as the grief choked him. He chose to sleep on the edge of the tent that night so that only Ignis was close enough to feel his trembling. It was not a surprise when he awoke wrapped in his arms, or when Ignis rose and made no mention of what had caused the cuddle session. Ignis was always kind like that.

Gladio has a new scar. Not uncommon, but this one is large and too close for comfort. The cut runs diagonal all the way across his chest, straight over his heart. Noct’s own clenches painfully tight.

“You asshole,” he chokes out, a mixture of anger and dread.

Gladio glares at him, arms crossing. “Really? You’re gonna give him the third degree? I did this for you, ya know?”

Noct balls his fists and sucks in a deep breath, as hard as it is. His thoughts are circling in that way Prom says his always do. It’s the slippery slope, Ignis calls it. One thought leads to another, one bad outcome jumping to the next. “You could have died!” he shouts.

“Now listen here,” Gladio snarls, face hard.

He sees Gladio stumbling in agony, the cut in his chest running deep. Blood dripping and dripping, thick and dark. Gladio crying out as deamons swarm on him in his weakened state. He tries to whirl on them but his footing falters on the wetness of his own blood and he misses. They cut into him again. And again. His chest is still bleeding, even more now. A birdlike deamon grips at his chest with talons sharp as needles and rips, until flesh and what lies beneath comes spewing out.

He chest hurts, as if he’s suffering the imaginary injury, and he clenches a fist there as he sucks in shallow breaths.

“Gods, damn it.” Suddenly, Gladio’s anger softens at the edges and his hands grip at his shoulders. “Noct, calm down. I’m fine. I’m right here.”

He can hear his voice, but it’s muffled as if it were coming from under water. He can see him there, whole and safe, but it’s overlaid by the image of his body being devoured by a horde of deamons.

“Noct!”

He blinks, chest sucking in large gasps of air, as strong arms squeeze at him. His hands come up to Gladio’s back and his head nestles into his neck. He wants to cry but he won’t let himself, not in front of Gladio. He allows himself to stay as he is for only as long as it takes to stop trembling and his breaths to come normally again.

When he does move out of the embrace, he glares at his shield. “Don’t you ever do something so stupid ever again.” Gladio opens his mouth in protest. “That’s an order.”

His shield grinds his teeth and bows his head. “I swear it.”

Noctis Lucis Caelum is numb. Everything has gone to shit and he is as good as powerless. Thinking only makes him feel like shit, so he does everything he can not to. He sits in his seat on the train refusing to move a muscle. He’s too tired to move anyway. He stares unseeing at Ignis and Prompto across from him. Prompto fuses over Ignis constantly, but Noct remains unaffected by it. Even the dull stab of pain from his grip on the ring of the Lucii eludes him. There is only sleep and detached sitting. That is until Gladio finally snaps. The shield’s hand is big and strong as it tugs on his shirt collar.

“You seriously just gonna sit there and pretend everything is fine?”

It takes a while for the words to process. When they do, despite his intentions, he slides down the slope. Nothing is fine. Insomnia is destroyed. He is supposed to be a king. Luna lies beneath the waves. Ignis will never see again. The weight is crushing, crushing at his chest, at his lungs. He can’t breathe.

Gladio shakes him and Noctis thinks his ribs rattle. He lets himself be shaken, tries to become numb again. Perhaps then he can find his breath again.

“Look at me!” Gladio demands.

He is in his face now. He looks so angry Noctis could cry. It’s so hard not to, now that he isn’t numb. He curls down on himself as much as he can with Gladio there in his space.

“If you can’t look at me, then look at Iggy. You think this is hard on you? Think about what he’s going through.”

Noctis doesn’t know what he means. He is looking at Gladio. There is the sound of a seat cushion which must be Ignis rising.

“Gladio, stop this. It was not his fault, and you know.”

“So, what? We let our king avoid his problems? That ain’t helping anyone, and you know it.”

Prompto’s the one to protest this time. “Stop being a dick! It’s a defense mechanism. You say he won’t look at you, but do you even see the state he’s in? Look at his eyes.”

Gladio must, because his face falls, hold loosening. “Shit.”

Noct still hasn’t processed this all yet. His mind is too busy remembering Luna and Ignis bleeding on the cobblestones and seeing Ardyn’s cackling face from atop his throne. He’s pulled forward, and suddenly, strong arms are around him. The thoughts are still there, but he feels warm and safe.

A hand strokes through his hair like his mother used to. “Noct, shit, I’m sorry. Breathe, just breathe.”

He does. In and out until his chest feels less hollow. Until it feels like he has lungs again. It takes much longer for the thoughts to pause. When they do he finally realizes it is Gladio, who was so pissed at him, that is holding him so protectively now.

“Sorry,” he finally says.

“You have nothing to apologize for,” says Ignis.

“Yeah, buddy. You don't have to shoulder this all alone, ya know.”

The words make him lighter, but it's Gladio he wants to hear from.

“Fuck, Noct.” He hasn't let go. He's holding on tighter now, actually. “I'm the one that should be apologizing. I went off to prove myself as your shield but then I went and failed. They're right, this is my burden as well, and I've done a piss poor job. Here you were suffocating in it and all I did was push you deeper. I have no right calling myself your shield.”

“Gladio,” Ignis begins in his caring chastising voice, but Noct cuts him off.

“Yeah, you screwed up. You failed as my shield.” Gladio flinches at the words. “Good thing all I want right now is my friend.” He can feel the tension drain from him. “Can you just be Gladio and I just be Noct? At least for a little while?” It comes out weak.

“Yeah.” His voice sounds choked. He wishes he could see his face, but he can't so he closes his eyes.

Nothing has changed. He's still tired, oh so tired. Sleep still calls to him, but maybe the thoughts are quieter. As if someone else is taking the worst of them before they reach the surface.

[grailfinders]

Fate and Phantasms #59: Jeanne d’Arc

Today on Fate and Phantasms, we’re finally finishing up the original roster of servants with The Maiden of Orleans, Jeanne d’Arc! As you might expect from the holy maiden, Jeanne is 100% a Cleric, protecting her soldiers as she leads the charge.

Check out the level-by-level breakdown below the cut, or the build summary over here!

I’d also like to thank everyone who likes or reblogs these posts; I thought this would be a really niche topic, but this blog now has more followers than my main! We’ve still got plenty of servants to go after this, so I hope you’ll continue to enjoy them.

Race and Background

Like most servants, Jeanne’s a Human. Rather, she’s a bundle of magical energy roughly based on the impact a human made on history, but that’s a mouthful, and also not a race, so we’ll stick with Human. This gives her +1 to all stats.

Jeanne’s your typical Folk Hero; came from humble beginnings, achieved great things through sheer determination, and died a fiery death at the hands of those she saved. That last part’s not typical, but it’s also not part of a person’s background. Being a folk hero gives you proficiency with Animal Handling and Survival. You grew up on a farm, so that’s not too wild.

Stats

You receive visions from a higher power, and know other servants’ True Names on sight. That’s pretty wise, so your Wisdom has to be pretty high. Despite having zero formal education, you can argue theology with the best of them through sheer conviction- that’s Charisma. Third is Constitution; you have a martyr complex, so it helps to have some health in the first place before you go throwing it away to save others. Fourth is Dexterity, because it’s just more helpful here. Your Strength isn’t great. I know canon Jeanne can fold street lamps like pretzels, but sacrifices had to be made somewhere. Finally, dump Intelligence. Remember that “zero formal education” thing from earlier? Yeah.

Class Levels

1. Being a Cleric is a given, but being a catholic complicated our choice of domain a bit. Since you’re a monotheist, God falls under every domain, but your personal power set fits best in the Protection domain from an Unearthed Arcana. First level clerics get Spells, which they cast and prepare using their Wisdom. Protection clerics also get a Shield of the Faithful, letting them react to stick a shield or arm between an attacking creature and their target within 5′ of you. This makes the target harder to hit, imposing disadvantage on the attack.

You also have proficiency in Wisdom and Charisma saves, as well as two cleric skills. You’re a part of History, and I’m sure God’ll fill in any blanks you need to know. Religion is an option, but you’re not educated, just really persistent. That’s Persuasion. 

For cantrips, Light will help your dumb human eyes see in the dark and make your flag all glowy for your noble phantasms. Mending will help keep the soldiers’ uniforms in one piece while on campaign, and Spare the Dying will help keep the soldiers in one piece while on campaign.

Clerics prepare their spells, so your exact spell list isn’t a part of character creation, but I’ll still go over some to keep in mind. Compelled Duel and Protection from Evil and Good are part of your domain spell list, so you get them for free. The former can keep your squishier teammates safe by forcing an enemy to target you, while the latter can keep a key member safe from aberrations, celestials, elementals, fey, fiends, and undead. Given the number of golems you end up fighting most events, this is a good spell to keep on hand. Some other spells to keep in mind are Bless and Shield of Faith for combat support, and Healing Word to keep everyone on their feet.

Finally, the question of what weapons to use. The closest thing to a flagpole on the simple weapon list would probably be a Spear, used two-handed. However, your strength isn’t going to be great; you’ll mostly be using this to wave your banner around. You should also keep a Dagger on hand as well. I’d prefer a shortsword, but a dagger’s is the only simple finesse weapon, so it’s what we have to put up with.

2. At second level you can Channel Divinity once per short rest. As a protection cleric, you have two options to pick from.

Turn Undead forces a wisdom save on undead within 30′ of you or they have to run away for a minute or until it takes damage.

Radiant Defense channels holy energy into an ally within 30′ of you as an action. The first time they take damage in the next minute, that energy is released on the attacker, dealing 2d10+your level in radiant damage.

3. Third level clerics get second level spells, including your domain spells Aid and Protection from Poison. The former increases three creatures’ HP totals by five for eight hours, while the latter does exactly what the name describes. Some other spells to look at include Prayer of Healing for when you can’t quite take a short rest, Lesser Restoration for disease and conditions, and Augury to start getting some divine visions.

4. Use your first ASI to become a Heavy Armor Master. This reduces all nonmagical slashing, bludgeoning, and piercing damage by 3 while wearing heavy armor.  Calling what you wear “heavy” armor is a bit generous, but you’re throwing yourself in front of the enemy with d8s for hit dice, you can be a bit generous with yourself.

You also get another cantrip this level. Resistance adds a d4 to an ally’s saving throw, for when you need to be sure Spartacus doesn’t get charmed.

5. At fifth level, your Turn Undead transforms into Destroy Undead. Now when undead of CR 1/2 or lower fail the save, they just die instantly. 

You also get third level spells, including domain spells Protection from Energy and Slow. Sometimes an idiot lizard is throwing fire all over the place and you just don’t want to deal with it, and sometimes the DM gives you a maralith with seven extra attacks. These spells help protect the party from those situations. Some other spells to check out are Aura of Vitality for health regeneration, Beacon of Hope to give your party something to rally around, Daylight for the aesthetic, and Mass Healing Word for when your whole party plays barbarians.

6. You can now Channel Divinity twice between rests, and you are a Blessed Healer. Rather than just healing Brian Blessed, this means that whenever you cast a spell to heal someone else, you also gain life; 2+ the spell’s level, to be exact.

7. Seventh level clerics get fourth level spells. Your domain spells are Guardian of Faith and Otiluke’s Resilient Sphere. The former isn’t that in-character for you, but the latter gives a creature Invincibility at the cost of trapping them inside a hamster ball. Another spell to look over is Divination to ask the big man a question that burning you up inside.

8. Use your next ASI to become an Inspiring Leader. Give the party a 10 minute speech to give them temporary hit points equal to your level + your charisma modifier. You may not know anything about tactics, military history, who you’re fighting, or why you’re fighting, but you’ve got heart, dammit! And that counts for something! 

Also, your Destroy Undead kills at CR 1, and you gain a Divine Strike. Once per turn, you can add 1d8 Radiant damage to an attack for some extra holy favor.

9. Ninth level clerics get fifth level spells, including your final domain spells Antilife Shell and Wall of Force. The former can protect you from other creatures, so long as they aren’t forced through the barrier. The latter creates a solid wall between your party and danger, and is likely the closest you’ll get to invincibility at this level. For other spells, Dawn creates a cylinder of radiant damage you can move around the battlefield, and Mass Cure Wounds cures massive amounts of wounds.

10. You learn to call upon Divine Intervention. You use your action to beg the DM for a literal Deus Ex Machina, and roll percentile dice. If you roll lower than your level, you get some help. You can use this feature once per long rest, but if you succeed you have to wait a week before you use it again.

You also get another cantrip. Guidance lets you back seat game with the help of God, giving a creature a d4 it can add to one ability check.

11. Your Destroy Undead cranks up to killing anything CR 2 or lower, and you can prepare 6th level spells. Find the Path is another form of your Revelation skill, letting you find the most direct route to a chosen location, as long as that location stays in one place on the same plane. You could also check out Heal for, you guessed it, more healing.

12. Use your next ASI to become a leader on the battlefield with Tandem Tactician. Now you can Help as a bonus action with a range of 10 feet, and you can help on two attacks if they’re aimed at the same enemy. You’re not that accurate, so why not help out the who are?

13. Thirteenth level clerics get a Divine Strike Improvement, adding an extra d8 of radiant damage when you use it. You also learn seventh level spells! Divine Word can cripple weakened enemies, and more importantly it forces extraplanar creatures back to their own world for 24 hours. Regenerate is even more healing that you won’t have to pay attention to.

14. Your Destroy Undead increases to affect CR 3 undead. Now Mummies and Wights will tremble before your might! ...Isn’t it weird how the other Channel Divinity option doesn’t get any stronger?

15. Fifteenth level clerics get eighth level spells. Holy Aura will protect your party from anything Wall of Force won’t, Antimagic Field will give you a command spell to counteract most of the nonsense the other servants might be using.

16. Use your ASI to bump up your Wisdom for stronger spell saves.

17. Your Destroy Undead now destroys undead of CR 4 or lower, letting you instantly banish any ghost that comes your way. You also gain an Indomitable Defense. At the end of short or long rests, you can resist two types of damage from the following: Bludgeoning, Necrotic, Piercing, Radiant, and Slashing. You can also use your action to pass these resistances to another creature, who’ll hold onto them until your next rest or until you spend a bonus action to take them back.

Finally, you get 9th level spells! Mass Heal and Power Word: Heal will maximize your healing powers to help the rest of your party stay not dead.

18. You can now Channel Divinity three times per short rest.

19. Use your last ASI to round up your Dexterity for more accuracy and better saves and Charisma for more rousing speeches.

20. At your capstone level, your Divine Intervention Improvement means your calls for some holy help are always successful.

Pros:

You can set up a very strong Defense, shutting down and blocking out enemy attacks and spells. You can impose disadvantage, physically block their advance, counter any magic within 30′ of you, or make their attacks blow up in their face with some Radiant Defense.

Whatever damage does go through won’t be a problem thanks to all your Healing, keeping the rest of the party on their feet until the battle’s won.

Intelligence might be your dump stat, but you’ve got a hotline to the one who knows all, so it’s not a big deal. Spells like Divination and Find the Path will help keep the party pointed in the right direction.

Cons: 

You can’t really do all that much on your own, offensively speaking. Your highest attacking stat is a 14, and that will only help you swing a dagger around.

Your physical stats aren’t that good in general. 143 HP isn’t bad for a caster, but you want to be on the front lines, so it could be an issue. Aid is a great way to cover this weakness, but that does mean you’ll be spending spells to do so. Your low strength also means you’re stuck with the weakest heavy armor available, so your AC isn’t amazing.

You don’t need to worry about getting hit if the enemy has to shoot through a wall though, so stay on the defensive and pray your allies will take up arms with you.

Next up: Animal Abuse!

[superthatguy62]

Final Fantasy I: Memory of Heroes: FF1 Adaptation (Part 2)

The second part of the FFI adaptation in the Light Novel.

The Cardia Isles/Citadel of Trials

- Lukahn directs the Warriors to the desert to use the Levitstone that Zauver found in Mt. Gulg to find a new form of transportation.

- Said new form of transportation turns out to be an airship, complete with a manual left by a man named Cid.

- Shortly afterwards, a dragon begins approaching the airship. Zauver wants to fly away from it while Setro wants to fight it, much to the former’s horror. The dragon reaches the airship but Teol convinces the party to hold off, believing that it won’t attack. 

-Said dragon is none other than Bahamut, the King of Dragons. He critiques Setro’s eagerness to battle and issues a trial to the Warriors of Light: Go to the Citadel of Trials and bring back proof of their courage. Setro accepts the challenge.

- The Citadel is described loosely, with the Warriors having zero faith in the rat tail they find there. They’re shocked when Bahamut tells them they’ve passed and he basically says that it’s about the expression of bravery, know when to pick your battles, etc.

- The process of powering up the Warriors is depicted by Bahamut gripping them on the head. The transformations themselves are more akin to the Famicom version with Setro and Zauver getting new physiques while the mages feel more magical potential. Zauver also flaunts both his new speed and the fact that he can use swords now.

Onrac/Sunken Shrine

- The legwork for reaching the Sunken Shrine is greatly shortened: The girl that talks with the Warriors of Light about the Oxyake already provides it for them. The book also plays a bit into the absurdity of trusting her and the barrel tht the Warriors end up using, but Setro decides to trust her. The scenario plays out similarly otherwise.

- Poor Kraken. Kraken has the shortest fiend fight, with his magic not even comparing to Teol’s and Zauver cutting off most of his legs. The book even notes that Kraken and Maralith aren’t that different in power, it’s just that Bahamut’s gift is just that great.

- The girl at the dock never reveals herself as a mermaid in this version, but it’s all but stated given her distress. The mermaids do give the Warriors a message to tell her, but when Flora relays the message (wishing her happiness as a human) the girl tries and fails to act uncaring and feign ignorance.

The Flying Fortress

- Probably the longest stretch in the story.

- The Warriors of Light meet with the Lufenians (no Rosetta Stone needed), are directed towards the great desert and are given a bell to break the illusion around the Mirage Tower.

-At the top of the Tower, the Warriors find the device to warp up to the Flying Fortress, along with a room full of robots (The narration calls them “monsters covered in steel armor”, as the Warriors don’t know what robots are. This is a recurring theme for pretty much all of the technology that the Warriors see in this section).

- A very notable thing happens: The robots show the Warriors of Light two videos: One of Professor Cid (i.e. Cid of Lufenia) aiding his fellow Lufenians in escaping the Flying Fortress using the very same airship the Warriors are using, and one of Cid leaving a Warp Cube with the robots, intending to seal off the Flying Fortress and trap Tiamat until the ones who can defeat her arrive (with Cid then leaving, presumably to bury the airship). The robots give the Warriors the Warp Cube and ask them to fulfill Cid’s last wish before shutting down

-The Flying Fortress is based on the later versions aestheticwise, but the final area’s description, noting that the windows show a view of the planet (again, the Warriors are unsure if it actually is or if it’s just an illusion), suggests that it is a space station like in the Famicom game.

- Zauver reflects on how the Warriors never regained their memories or even knew why they lost them in the first place, but quickly recovers and apologizes, agreeing with Setro’s sentiment that they’ll protect the world.

- In sharp contrast with Kraken, Tiamat has the longest fight scene in the FFI adaptation (maybe even the whole book?) at four pages. The general gist is that the first half of the fight, Setro and Zauver can’t do much to Tiamat due to her scales functioning akin to armor, with the first major blow going to Flora and Teol who cast their respective most powerful spells (Holy and Flare).

- When Tiamat breathes lightning, however, Zauver makes a realization: Tiamat’s scales may be protected, but her flesh isn’t. Zauver, already more reckless due to believing it to be the final battle, pulls risky maneuvers that result in two of Tiamat’s heads getting cut off at the cost of Zauver himself being brutalized. Teol blows up one of the remaining heads with Flare while Setro finishes off the last one through sheer strength.

- The four crystals are restored, but rather than the world being saved, the Warriors of Light are told to banish the darkness that still covers the world.

Chaos

- At a loss for what to do now, the party goes back to Lukahn and the Twelve Sages

- The Sages reveal that the Fiends had taken the stolen crystal energy and sent it back to the past, to the Chaos Shrine. This disrupted the flow of time, to such a degree that the Warriors of Light were caught up in it, resulting in them losing their memories. Zauver, who had come to terms with the fact that their memories were permanently gone during the Tiamat fight, immediately becomes enraged and is the most eager to pay back the true mastermind.

- The Warriors arrive at the Chaos Shrine and, after some musing on where their journey has taken them, step into the portal (Garland’s Dark Crystal seemingly doesn’t exist in this version).

- The past turns out to be really, really bright, much to the Warriors’ confusion. The Warriors are further confused when the Four Fiends appear; Not only do the fiends’ demeanor suggests them to be benevolent, but Tiamat accuses the Warriors of Light of arriving to destroy the world due to them showing up in a world where light already reigns (foreshadowing for FFIII’s chapter?).

- Garland arrives, revealing that fiends are not yet fiends, that he rescued himself from death and that he intends to set up the time loop. Garland absorbs the not yet fiends and transforms into Chaos a monster (the name “Chaos” is only alluded to by Garland calling himself ‘Chaos Incarnate’).

- Garland’s entitlement has reached godhood status, claiming that when he touched the darkness that day, he knew his destiny to rule all of creation. His initial burst of darkness weakens the warriors and destroys the shrine, and he uses his powers to finish them off, each falling to their respective element (Zauver is tossed by a tornado, Teol is impaled with sharp rocks, Flora is chilled by a blizzard and Setro attacked with fire. Garland brags about how he turn the wheel of time until “the course of history is set right”.

- Setro, still awake, tries to get up. His own crystal empowers him and the light from his friends’ crystals combine into his sword, giving him the strength needed to defeat Garland and return light to the world.

- As he falls asleep alongside his friends, Setro tells them that they shall return to their world, and to a new one, and that they shall journey together once more. Given the FFII and especially FFIII adaptations, he’s not wrong...

“The Illusion is over! We will end it, here and now!”

I guess you could say it was... *puts on shades* Garland’s Final Fantasy.

[painted-thumbs]

Maralith 🗡🗡🗡😈 🗡🗡🗡

Pics as always by @jupiterdescendingg

[bgn846]

Of Snakes and Men - FFXV Fanfic

Summary: Ignis gets kidnapped by a maralith during battle. However, when Ignis thinks he's about to die the maralith does the last thing he expects.

Work Text:          

Being crushed to death by a huge, monster snake was not how Ignis wanted to die. He’d only tried to help the glaive standing nearby when the thing attacked. Unfortunately, that meant Ignis had become the maraliths target instead. Memories of Noct’s gruesome childhood injury flashed through Ignis’ mind as he was lifted in the air. One pair of massive arms was solely focused on holding him while the other two pair kept fighting.

With his arms pinned down in the maraliths strong grip, Ignis quickly gave up on the idea of summoning his daggers. He’d most likely end up slicing his leg open and bleed out before anyone could save him. If they could save him that is, the situation wasn’t exactly looking hopeful.

What was supposed to have been a simple diplomatic trip outside the wall had quickly turned into a nightmare. None of them had been expecting a giant pissed-off maralith to appear and block the road. At least the prince was safe; Noct was at the citadel safe with the king. Though that thought did little to help Ignis now.

A loud boom sounded a second later causing Ignis look down; one of the glaives on the ground had set off a smoke bomb. Unable to escape the billowing cloud of gas Ignis began choking. Six, it was bloody tear gas. His throat burned but maybe it was having the same effect on the maralith. Wiggling experimentally, Ignis tried to push away the massive hands locking his body in place.

To no such avail, he was stuck, and breathing was becoming a real problem. During his coughing fit, Ignis barely registered the loud roar from the monster.  Guess it didn’t like the gas either. The thing just had to let him go, the fall would hurt but he’d be free of the blasted maralith.

However, that is not what happened. His lungs were burning and he couldn’t see properly due to the gas making his eyes tear up. Then, the only thing his senses were aware of was the dizzying effect of moving too fast. The gas mercifully lifted, but that wasn’t a good thing either. The maralith had simply fled the fight with Ignis still in his clutches.

Still unable to catch a decent breath Ignis tried again to work his way free. This time the maralith noticed and growled. Everything was blurry but Ignis was conscious of the landscape changing. Were they heading up a bloody mountain cliff?

The distant shouts of the glaives soon faded, replaced by howling winds. Suddenly, the light dimmed and they were surrounded by darkness. Ignis was going to die, he’d been captured by a monster and it’d taken him away. His vision was still clouded, but he realized the maralith had gone into a cave. Crying out in a desperate bid for life, Ignis wondered if he could reason with the monster.

Hope flickered in his chest when he felt the monster set him down a moment later. Taking his shirt to rub at his face, Ignis attempted to wipe away the tear gas residue. The sting was still great and he gave up after a few seconds, he needed relief but couldn’t see well enough to do anything more. That’s when he heard splashing water. Reaching out with his hand he immediately felt the icy touch of water.

Without pause, Ignis shoved his glasses up on his head and lurched forward to clean his face. Finally, the burn was going away and he could see something. The cave was nearly pitch black, aside from dim light coming from above. There must have been another entrance further up the cave wall. For now, all he could make out was the freshwater pool at his fingertips and the hulking shadow of the maralith twenty yards away.

The monster was scrubbing at his face and throwing water over its head. The thing was apparently unaffected by the freezing waters. Realizing this might be his only chance to get away Ignis scrambled to get up. If he could make it back to the entrance maybe he could slide down the cliff face. Wishing he’d been able to master warping like Noct, Ignis stumbled forward grasping clumsily at the rock sides, he couldn’t jet away to safety so easily.

He’d only made it a few feet when the maralith noticed. There was a loud shout followed by the sound of sloshing water. Ignis didn’t want to look behind him; he knew the monster was coming. Speeding up his pace caused Ignis to slip on the wet rocks. Managing to stay mostly upright he continued on, he had to try to escape.

Taking another step resulted in his foot slipping again, this time into the icy waters. Cringing at the sensation Ignis quickly stood up, however, the loose stone underneath his feet merely shifted further. A sickening crack was all that prepared him for the rock face giving way and sending him into the dark freezing pool.

The shock of the water temperature instantly numbed his senses as he sank into the depths. The pool was a lot deeper than it seemed. It took a few long seconds for his brain to kick into gear, he needed air. This is when another terrifying aspect of his current predicament came to light. His ankle was trapped underneath something. Something heavy, like a fucking rock.

It was becoming harder and harder to think as he struggled to free himself. Pulling at his leg did nothing to help, he wouldn’t last much longer. The lack of air was making his lungs burn, and just as he felt the world fading away something grabbed his leg.

--

The smell of burning wood was the first thing Ignis became aware of as he slowly woke up.  Prying his eyes open a second later caused his heart rate to double. Colorful scales of blue, green, and black were all around him. A makeshift wall of giant snake tail was looming over him. Suppressing the urge to yell he looked around. Maybe he could still escape if he kept his wits.

However, his brain was slow to catch up as he worked to control his breathing. Not only was he partially surrounded by the maralith, but he was also laying on it too. A smooth scaly pillow of sorts cushioned his head, and there was one under his knees as well. Then, when he noticed that most of his clothes had been removed, Ignis actually whimpered. Being covered by a blanket had prevented this fact from registering properly. He was well and truly fucked.

That’s when he started violently shaking; he was going into shock all over again. This of course alerted the giant snake-man to his troubles. A huge figure soon appeared hovering over him.

“Nocere tibi, movens subsisto,” the monster said in what Ignis was sure was a concerned tone.

Stunned by hearing him speak Ignis merely lay there with his mouth moving but nothing coming out.

“Adiuva me,” the snake man uttered softly.

Curse exhaustion for making him sluggish. Ignis was certain that the language being spoken was something familiar. In an old, ancient, lost civilization kinda way.

“Frigidus es?” The maralith asked.

Cold, that word he knew. This monster was speaking ancient Solheimian. What in eos was happening? Still unable to form a coherent thought Ignis waved his arm around helplessly.

The maralith tilted its head and spoke once more. “Frigidus es?”

“Uh, no, I’m not cold, erm, ego n-non frigus,” Ignis added when he finally remembered some of the old language. He’d studied it in college, all for Noct of course, for when he would go find the royal arms. Now was as good a time as any to use it, what little he could recall.

Surprisingly, the maralith smiled at the admission and turned to point at the brightly burning fire a few yards away. Squinting into the flames Ignis thought he saw crownsguard issue supply crates. Looking into the cave further, along the wall, Ignis spotted a rather large stockpile of crownsguard goods. This maralith had been pilfering supply trucks for months according to reports he’d read. Assuming their small convoy of cars wouldn’t interest the maralith had been a poor decision.

The fact that it’d been stealing goods also played a part in Ignis’ survival at the moment. Otherwise, he’d be freezing to death on a cold stone floor. No blanket and no fire. His shaking had subsided slightly when he understood that he wasn’t going to get killed. At least not right then and there.

Swallowing down his fear he attempted to remember what had happened. He was confused as to why he was still alive. He’d been drowning in a freezing pool. If the lack of air hadn’t gotten him then hypothermia surely would have set in. That meant the maralith had saved him. Even building a fire to keep him warm and removing his wet clothes. Which he spotted drying by the fire, laid out with care.

None of this made any sense. “Why did you help me?” Ignis asked as he rolled carefully onto his side. Curling into a ball made his body feel warmer.

“Non volunt occidere.”

Taking a deep breath Ignis worked to figure out the words. Something about kill, but it also had the word no. “You didn’t want to hurt me? Is that what you are saying?” he tried, hoping the maralith would understand.

When the snake man nodded and smiled again Ignis felt dizzy. He’d been kidnapped and rescued by a monster. “What are you going to do with me? I’ve got to get home.”

“Prima cura, reliqua opus.”

Those words were good, heal and rest, but then what after he’d done that, what did the monster have in mind? “Will you let me go?”

This time the maralith pouted and heaved a heavy sigh. All three pairs of arms were crossed in defiance across his chest, but after a moment he let them fall to the side and nodded.

“Do you have a name?” Ignis asked looking up at the monster. His human half had long dark hair and his eyes almost looked like amber in the firelight.

“Invocabunt me Gladiolus,” he answered with a slight bow. “Et vos?” he added gesturing towards Ignis.

Wondering if giving out his name would cause any issues Ignis threw caution into the wind and answered. “Ignis.”

The maralith, Gladiolus, became excited and pointed to the fire again. “Bonum nomen, tam pugnare tecum.”

Blinking stupidly Ignis worked to translate what he’d said. Gladiolus had complimented his name and told him he fought well. Guess this was a start to not becoming snake bait later. He was about to add more when a loud trilling noise filled the space. Gladiolus growled and immediately pointed to the clothes drying by the fire.

“Malum est magna!” he exclaimed.

Struggling to sit up Ignis wondered if he could drag himself over to his jacket to answer his phone before Gladiolus pounded it into dust. The maralith saw him move and immediately held out one massive hand to push him back. Ignis went to protest until he noticed Gladio grabbing the coat with one of his many other arms.

Holding out in front of him, Ignis searched the pockets for his phone. Surprised it was still working he scrambled to hit the answer button. “Hello! Don’t hang up I’m here!” he cried out.

“Ignis?! Thank the astrals, are you hurt? Where are you? I’m gonna rescue you! Can you walk?” The voice attached to the rather long list of questions was Noct. Ignis was sure he heard his voice crack over the line. He’d been fearing the worst.

“Noctis, I’m alright, please calm down.”

“I was so worried!” Noct breathed out in a rush. “Hey! He answered!” Noct shouted a second later to someone else in the room. “I told you he wasn’t dead!”

The phone sounded like it was being handed off before another voice came over the line. “Ignis, are you alright? What’s your status?” Cor asked in obvious relief.

“Uh, I’m unharmed,” Ignis offered.

“Do you know where you are?”

“Not really, let me ask,” Ignis paused and looked over to Gladiolus. “Might you let my friends come get me?”

Gladiolus narrowed his eyes and pouted again. “Fortasse…”

“Otherwise, you’d have to help me get back down the side of this mountain.”

“Ego auxiliatus sum,” he answered quickly.

“Ignis, who are you talking to?” Cor asked in a high-pitched voice.

“Gladiolus, the maralith that kidnapped me and then saved my life when I almost drown and caught hypothermia.”

“Huh, and you didn’t hit your head or anything?”

“Marshal, I’m well beyond my comfort level at the moment, so I’m trying to find a silver lining where I can.”

“I think I heard the word for help from your er, friend.”

“As did I, what do you suggest I do now?”

“Find out when he’s gonna let you leave and we’ll be waiting. We know the general area you should be in.”

“That doesn’t sound hopeful.”

“Silver lining Ignis,” Cor replied. “Are you sure you feel safe? I don’t want this to be our last communication from you.”

“I’ve already asked if he intends to kill me and he said no, correct?” Ignis added as he again caught Gladiolus' eye.

“Tutum, noli commoveri,” he rumbled authoritatively.

“I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but it appears I’m safe, with the maralith.” Ignis could feel his body starting to shake again. None of this was normal.

“Save your battery and call again when you have more information.”

“Yes, of course.” Before he could hang up Noct came back on the line sounding a lot like he’d been sniffling.

“I don’t like the idea of you still being lost out there. You sure you’ll be okay?” The prince asked.

“I hope so Noct, try not to worry. I’ll see you soon.”

“Okay, love you specs,”

For Noct to tell him that, meant he was truly rattled. Taking a calming breath Ignis answered kindly. “I love you too.”

The call disconnected shortly afterward, leaving Ignis with more feelings than he anticipated.  Setting the phone down he was surprised to see Gladiolus frowning at him. “You said you’d let me go, did you lie to me?” he checked with worry.

Instead of answering the question, Gladiolus asked one of his own. “Quis est? Amans tui?” the maralith almost looked hurt.

Thinking fast Ignis wracked his brain for what the words meant. Gladiolus wanted to know who he was speaking with and the other word amans that was familiar. Dear six, he’d asked if he’d talked with his lover! “No, no, uh frater, frater meus! My brother!” It was the best way to describe what Noct was to him, they’d practically grown up together.

Gladiolus sagged with obvious relief and smiled again. “Bonum! Tu es amans mei.”

“What? What did you just say?” Ignis checked, he could feel the blood in his body not doing its job. He was getting lightheaded and feeling dizzy. “What do you mean?”

The maralith only grinned at him, “Amans mei.”

Love me? What was he saying exactly? Then in a flash he remembered the saying, used so often in old ancient love poems. Amans mei, my lover. Groaning at the implications Ignis flopped back down on his back. Great, he’d attracted the attention of a maralith. Moving his arm Ignis weakly pointed to his clothes. “May I have them, I’d like to get dressed now.”

--

Staring out over the lip of the cave mouth was making Ignis’ mouth go dry, they were very high up, no wonder the glaive were unable to follow him when Gladiolus took off earlier.

“Curam,” Gladiolus said as he silently slithered up beside him.

That word Ignis knew the meaning of now, Gladiolus kept saying it even though he was fine, mostly. “I’m being careful,” he huffed.

Gladiolus pointed down and shook his head.

“I won’t fall.” Thankfully the maralith didn’t comment further while they waited. Ignis was looking for the convoy of glaive coming to get him. He’d managed to figure out his location once Gladiolus let him see outside. Apparently, he’d been very upset about seeing Ignis with a limp. Getting stuck underneath a pile of rocks will do that to a man. There were no potions in the armiger, and Ignis didn’t want to worry Noct any more than necessary by calling and requesting one.

Finally, when the trail of dust appeared on the horizon Ignis knew his friends had arrived. “It’s time, you’ll not attack, correct?”

Gladiolus shook his head and smiled. “Tutum.” The man’s smile was disarming, considering what it was attached to.

“Yes, as you’ve mentioned already, several times. You’ll forgive me if I’m slow to believe.”

“Tutum,” Gladio repeated, “Safe.”

Turning wide-eyed to the maralith Ignis waited to see if he’d say anything else. “Can you speak English?”

“No.”

Licking his lips Ignis couldn’t think of how to counter that statement. No was a pretty easy word to learn. “How will I get down?”

The maralith pointed to himself and held out two of his hands. Oh no Ignis was meant to be carried. Something about being trapped in the monster's grasp was a little heart attack inducing.

“Hurt, I hold,” he added slithering forward.

Ignis couldn’t help but yelp like a little kid when Gladiolus picked him up a second later. “Curam!” he exclaimed.

“Yes, careful.”

“You know English, you sneaky bastard!” Ignis huffed.

“No.”

Sighing in defeat Ignis had no time to prepare himself when Gladiolus slithered past the edge of the cave entrance and slide down half the mountain on his belly. Ignis was sure he screamed. He hollered when he road rollercoasters, this was no fucking different!

When they came to a stop a minute later Ignis found he was clutching Gladiolus' thumb for dear life. “Can you warn me next time?!” His brain caught up to what he was saying; there wouldn’t be a next time. He was going home never to see Gladiolus again.  Somehow that thought didn’t make him feel good.

Gladiolus gently placed him on the ground and hovered briefly while his knees stopped behaving like jello. Once stable he walked a few feet away and turned back. “Will you kindly stop attacking our convoys?”

The maralith shrugged and looked away.

“Please?”

The nod he received was almost imperceptible but it was there. Nodding back in acknowledgment Ignis waited to see if he’d say anything else.

“Et iterum autem videbo vos?”

Ignis heard something about see and the word again.

Oh.

“Are you asking if we’ll see each other again?”

Gladiolus nodded rapidly.

Taking a deep breath Ignis found himself uttering the most insane idea he’d ever had. “I could teach you how to speak English if you’d like.”

“Yes!”

“You know it already though, liar.”

“No,” Gladiolus tacked on with the most shit-eating grin Ignis had ever seen plastered on a monster’s face.

“I mus--.”

“Ignis! Are you alright?” Cor’s voice asked from behind him.

“Marshal! Thank the six, yes!” Ignis replied spinning around quickly. Running over Ignis stumbled, due to his bruised ankle, and promptly fell into Cor’s arms.

“I gotcha you’re safe,” he added while hauling him upright and slinging Ignis’ arm over his shoulder.

A worried shout from a nearby glaive alerted Ignis to the current situation. Gladiolus was right there scowling at Cor, his demeanor stiff and intimidating. “Amans?” He fumed.

“NO!” Ignis shouted. “You’re terrible, “Frater, dammit, frater!”

Instantly the maraliths face softened and he backed away. “Amans?” he asked again while gesturing to the crowd of glaive on guard.

“No, I don’t have amans.”

That blinding smile came back followed by a phrase, Ignis was learning, gave him heart palpations. “Tu es amans mei.”

After a few awkward minutes of trying to not say goodbye, because who did that to a monster, Ignis hobbled away with Cor supporting his weight, he was going home. Once they were safely in the car and on the road heading back to insomnia Ignis allowed himself to look out the back window. He could see Gladiolus making his way back up to his cave.

“Are you sure you’re alright? You seem pale.”

“A giant half-snake man told me I’m his lover, Cor. How do you expect me to be?” Ignis could tell Cor was trying not to laugh. “I understand things could have ended much worse, but I don’t have a clue what to do next.”

“First things first, you rest.” Cor rummaged in a bag nearby and produced a potion. “Take this and drink some water. Let us do the rest okay.”

Nodding his head in agreement, Ignis broke the potion bottle and felt his ankle heal. Nursing a water bottle Ignis let his mind wander. Would he come back to teach Gladiolus English? He’d not exactly promised to do so, but wasn’t his word good enough? Perhaps having a maralith as an alley would be a good thing.

[dancerfics]

☾,✄,♬

Send ☾ for a sleep headcanon.

Noctis can be a pretty deep sleeper, unfortunately he does get a lot of nightmares; so he is probably prone to waking up several times a night. He moves around a lot in his sleep too, and he never quite feels rested enough.

Send ✄ for a favorite movie of my muse’s.

He’s probably someone who enjoys a variety of different genres depending on what sort of mood he’s in. Sometimes he’ll watch an action, other times he’ll watch a horror with Prompto and get amused when his best friend gets scared. But he secretly gets scared too, only Ignis knows this.

Send ♬ for a childhood headcanon.

Noctis was somewhat of a cheerful child, he would often get into trouble for sneaking out because he wanted to see the stars. Both him and Ignis caused all kinds of trouble together as kids. When the maralith attack happened though, he became more withdrawn, he was always quite shy around strangers; but he even withdrew a little from his friends.

@softbeds-not-existentialdread

[thisisthedungeonthatneverends]

"GLADIO WAS A DOUCHE TO NOCTIS IN A VERY ABELIST WAY THAT MAKES ME CRINGE” RANT

Disclaimer: I’m NOT bashing Gladio…per se. I love all our boys. That being said, I feel I would be doing a disservice to Gladio AND Noctis, as well as my fellow chronic pain sufferers in the fandom not to call out the clear and present ableism that Squeenix projected onto Gladio’s character.

Upon rewatching Brotherhood, I have concluded that all evidence points to Brotherhood Episode 3: Sword and Shield taking place post-maralith. The Empire deployed a giant Maralith deamon in a clear assassination attempt on Noctis and/or Regis. Noct's governesses was killed in front of him, and he lay injured next to her body for several minutes. He was left with a severe spinal injury which left him wheelchair bound for a length of time that canon never specifies. In-game clues hint that he suffered chronic pain from this injury for the rest of his life, and popular fanon supports this theory.

Now on to BE3.

Oh Lords on high where do I even start.

Let’s go ahead and start with the most obvious thing: swords training. Throughout this episode Gladio takes Noctis down pretty brutally multiple times, repeatedly striking him in the lower back with a wooden training sword. Now I can hear you. “But Jen" you say, “They’re just toy swords. They can’t hurt THAT much!”

They damn fucking well do. Even with the protective padding he’s wearing, a full-blown strike like the ones Gladio was landing (again, REPEATEDLY) hurt like a bitch. I have taken care of someone who’s sparring partner went overboard with a bokken. His abdomen was PURPLE even with proper sparing gear. I could tell you the whole story but I’m not trying to derail this rant.

So obviously my issue here is GLADIO REPEATEDLY BEATING THIS CHILD DIRECTLY IN HIS LOWER BACK AFTER HE JUST RECOVERED FROM A SEVERE SPINAL INJURY FOR THE GOOD SHIP LOLLYPOP LOVE OF FUCK!!

Not only that, but calling him week. Lazy. For not being able to handle it. Expecting him to spring right back. Never allowing him to show his pain.

We’ll get into the emotional side of that later, but for now let’s stay on the physical aspect.

THERE IS NO WAY IN HEAVEN, HELL, OR PERGATORY THAT NOCTIS WOULD HAVE RECOVERED FROM AN INJURY LIKE THAT IN AS LITTLE TIME AS HE DID IN CANON.

“But Jen,” I hear you, “Blah blah magic healing. Blah blah Oracle blessing.”

Nope. Because if that was the case, he would have been on his feet soon after reaching Tenebrea. But he was still in a wheelchair when the Empire struck, as we see in the opening scene of Kingsglaive.

Maybe Sylva was able to accelerate Noct’s healing process, but we’re still talking literal YEARS of recovery time for a, I’m gonna say it again, SEVERE SPINAL INJURY.

This game loves to give characters disabilities and then gloss over it to make it a non issue. Looking at YOU, Ignis. And Ravus, for that matter. Sure Libertus legit struggled with his leg in Kingsglaive, but that was a broken femur. Not, y'know. A, ima say it again, SEVERE SPINAL INJURY. Or being fucking BLIND. Or losing an entire mutherfuckin’ ARM.

But I digress.

Now we’re going to delve into the psychological aspect of the ableism projected onto Gladio by Squeenix.

Because lying in a pool of your dead governess’s blood while the deamon that murdered her looms over you about to kill you gives you GOD DAMN PTSD.

And maybe a little bit of survivors guilt. Does THAT become a common theme with Noct’s character throughout the main game? Ha. Yeah. But That’s another rant that I’ll damn sure do because I’m saltier than the Dead Sea right now because my sciatica AND tendinitis AND migraines are all flaring up at the same damn time and my fellow salty bitches on the 15 Gay Fantasies Discord egged me on.

So.

Astrals help me.

Remember what I said about Gladio calling Noctis lazy and weak? That’s not just physical. Gladio is attacking Noct’s CHARACTER. Noctis, a child with PTSD, survivors guilt, Not just about his governess but about watching Sylva get murdered and Luna and Ravus get captured by the Empire. That’s a LOT of death and violence to be weighed down by as a freaking 12-13 year old CHILD, even if that child is the Crown Prince of a kingdom at war.

And what does he get? Support? Love? Understanding? Compassion?

NOPE.

What he gets is ABUSED. Beaten down physically and emotionally. Told he’s week. Lazy. Pathetic. Not good enough.

It’s pretty obvious that this leads to life-long clinical depression. We see the state of his apartment in BE4. We see the way he always walks with his hand in his pockets, arms stiff at his sides, head down. Classic signs of someone closing themselves off.

Except around Prompto. The ONE person in the WORLD he can speak freely to.

Honestly… It hurts to say this but… I think Prompto saved Noct's life. I truly don’t know if Noctis, with that level of depression, that much repressed guilt, could have survived without the support he found in Prompto.

And I HATE to pin that on Gladio but the narrative presented to me leaves me with little choice.

Now Gladio. This boy. I still love him. Because he’s a CHILD thrust into an ENORMOUS responsibility at such a painfully young age. He knows Lucis is a kingdom at war. He’s been tasked with making sure this BOY is ready to be KING. And from his perspective, he ISN’T. Noctis isn’t week, he’s VULNERABLE. But in the eyes of the person whose entire life revolves around toughening up this terrified little kid, he’s not living up to the impossible standards they are BOTH being held to.

And Gladio feels responsible.

So he gets angry. He gets bitter and resentful. He lashes out. His own mother is (presumably) dead. Where’s HIS time to mourn?

This DOESN’ excuse Gladio’s downright abusive behavior, but it does give us perspective. And we also have to remember that he was just as much of a frightened child as Noctis. And children grow and mature and learn from their mistakes.

We see it in BE4 when Gladio expresses understanding of Noct's situation. We see it during the Rite of Titan when Gladio reminds Noctis to let those who care about him be there for him.

BUUUUUUUT….chapter 10 rolls around and all that goes out the wwindow.

But I don’t want to dive down that abyss of a rabbit hole right now.

Just needed to get that all off my chest.