#or maybe dinos had more general fat on their bodies at one point

[elijah-loyal]

i think the craziest thing about getting back into dinosaurs after close to 10 years is the fact that science has helped us predict more accurately what they looked like, and they are SO DIFFERENT from when i was a kid

like when i was a kid, compsognathus was my favorite because it was a fast little fucker, and it looked like this:

standard old dino design, right?

but now, one of the most common depictions of compsognathus is THIS:

like ur kidding! my favorite guy turns out to probably have looked like a little lemur?!!!?!! thats insane and so cool!!

[errantknightess]

Flavour of the day

Pairing: none // gen chocobros

Word count: 1,800

Summary: The saddest thing about Altissia is that the ice cream melts too fast

[Read on AO3]

The mild oceanic climate of Altissia was a lie. A merciless advertising scam, if Prompto were to be completely honest. They had maybe four hours in the morning before the temperature spiked way out of a tolerable range, and they never managed to drag Noct out of bed early enough to use that time. Now, a little past noon, the open bridges and plazas turned into a frying pan. Those smooth white walls might have looked like sculpted from snow, but up close they were almost scalding. Even the gentle breeze lifting from the canals didn’t help much. Prompto squinted at the waves lapping lazily at the sides of a passing gondola. What a heartless monster could build a city right on the water and then ban swimming?

“Guys, I think I’m dying,” he whined.

“If you can still think, surely it can’t be that bad.” Ignis’s voice was light and even, as if he hadn’t just climbed up and down a dozen flights of stairs under the blistering sun. Somehow, he still looked fresh as a daisy in his impeccable button-up; he barely rolled up his sleeves.

“Seriously!” Prompto wheezed, flopping against the bannister and flinching away just as quickly when the stone burned his bare arm. “Let’s find some shade before we all drop from heatstroke.”

Gladio snorted. He, at least, had the decency to sweat a bit.

“You climbed an active volcano and you can’t handle a little sun?”

“Easy for you to say, big guy. You’re not even wearing a shirt!”

“You can lose yours, too. Who’s stopping you?”

“No way, man!” Prompto tugged at his vest, flapping the thick denim in a vain attempt to fan himself with it. “This is my style. I can’t just ditch it!”

“If you say so.” Gladio clapped him on the back and walked past, into yet another sunlit street. Prompto followed him closely, trying to stay in the patch of shadow he cast and not be too obvious about it. Up ahead, Noct was already checking out his third fishing spot that day. This time, thank the gods, it was shaded.

“Dude, tell me this is a good place. I wanna stay here forever.” Prompto plopped down next to him, sprawling flat and boneless across the pier. The chilly paving against his skin was just about the best feeling ever. “Ugh, I feel like I’ve been cuddling with Ifrit.”

Noct nudged him with his foot, eyes never leaving the greenish depth before them.

“You okay?”

“I’ll live.” With a sigh, Prompto rolled over on his stomach to face the graceful buildings lining the other bank. The tall towers and colonnades piercing the clear blue sky shone like beacons, beckoning. Usually, watching Noct fish could get pretty boring – but not here. He could never get enough of those sights.

The camera appeared in his hands as soon as he thought of it, pure instinct at this point. He snapped a few shots right from where he sat, catching the whole waterfront panorama bit by bit. The sun was high, drawing deep shadows around the edges of carved facades and casting sparks off the rippling waves below. It hurt his eyes even through the viewfinder. With a flick of his hand, Prompto dismissed the camera back to the Armiger, but stayed on the lookout, drinking in the views all around.

Behind his back, the street opened into a small square, packed with people and bursting with colours. He spotted Ignis not far away, checking out some paintings at one of the stalls along the wall. Prompto’s eyes swept over the booths, over flowers and souvenirs – and stopped at something much more interesting.

“Hey, Noct!” he called, tapping his friend on the shin to get his attention. “Look!”

Noct didn’t look. Didn’t even look like he heard him. But Gladio did, and that was good enough.

“What is it?” he asked, in a tone that suggested anything would be better than sitting there and watching Noct lose the staring contest with the Cygillan Sea Bass. Prompto perked up, sending him a grateful glance behind their prince’s back.

“Over there.” He pointed to a stand at the far end, a little green cart with a glass lid and a sign that made his overheated heart sing with joy.

“Gelato?” Gladio peered at the letters with a thoughtful frown. “Might not be a bad idea. Hey, princess! Want some ice cream?”

Miraculously, Noct looked up at last, putting his rod away in a flash of blue light.

“Sure,” he said.

Prompto missed the shade as soon as they left the pier, but the closer they got to the cart, the more he became sure it was worth it. The mere sight of the overflowing tubs sparkling with frost on the edges made him feel cooler already.

“What have we here?” Ignis joined them in three quick strides, his eyes sharp as he studied the glass case.

“The ultimate Altissian dessert!” The nice older lady at the counter lit up with pride. “The same original recipe for over eighty years, in twenty three unique flavours. Care to get some, boys?”

“We gotta try, right?” Prompto looked pleadingly at his friends, even though the answer was obvious.

“Of course!” Ignis put on a small smile, the closest equivalent to giddy in his body language. “It would be a shame not to taste the local cuisine when the opportunity arises.”

The vendor gave him a little nod, clearly pleased to meet a fellow enthusiast of the craft. “What would you like, then?”

“The Veldorian wine sounds good.” Gladio looked up from the list on the display and dug in his pocket for loose change. “It says here it’s made with real wine, that true?”

“That’s right!” The vendor beamed at him as she handed him the cone. “Great choice, it’s one of our most popular flavours. What’s next?”

“Some of these seem rather unconventional.” Ignis tapped his chin, and it was plain to see he could barely keep himself from making notes right on the spot. “I’m feeling adventurous. Perhaps… Chocolate chili, please.”

Prompto whistled, camera at the ready. No way he could miss that expression.

“Whoa, Iggy! How’s that supposed to cool you down?”

The vendor smiled a knowing smile and passed Ignis his heaping scoop.

“Oh, it will do the job just fine, dear. And for you?”

“Man…” He could go cross-eyed looking at this rainbow of flavours. “So many choices… I have to think! Okay, okay, okay, ummm… Ulwaat berries?”

“Here you are.” And wow, that cone really deserved a photo, but Prompto was too afraid he’d drop it to risk maneuvering with the camera. He’d just have to treasure this memory forever in his mind.

“It’s so hard to decide, right?” He turned to Noct, stepping aside to make room for him in front of the display – but Noct didn’t even spare it a glance.

“Yeah,” he grunted and gave the vendor a slanted smile. “I don’t know. Surprise me.”

“Very well.” The vendor seemed surprised too, but she piled a generous scoop from a tub on the far end. “I hope you enjoy!”

Enjoy didn’t even start to describe it. As they weaved through the crowd, trying not to smear their precious treats onto passing people, Prompto felt closer to heaven with every second. Altissian gelato was so much better than the ice pops he’d had before – thick and creamy, and didn’t taste like licking the freezer door. There were even whole berries in it, too, bursting on his tongue like tiny bombs of vibrant flavour.

“This wine really packs a punch,” Gladio muttered, a praise he hardly ever doled out during training.

“Hope it doesn’t go to your head,” Prompto chuckled.

“No way. I’m not a lightweight like you to get drunk on a scoop of ice cream.”

“I dunno, dude. As our friend Dino would say, it’s a real big scoop.”

“Enough,” Gladio groaned and bit into his ice cream as if he wanted to freeze that pun out of his brain. Beside him, Ignis winced with abject horror.

“Have mercy, Gladio, this is no way to eat that.”

“What? This?” Gladio took another bite, looking him straight in the eye. Ignis squirmed, his face a perfect blend of misery and discomfort.

“Honestly. How can you stand doing this? Do try to savour it a little. Your teeth will thank you as well.”

Gladio’s teeth sank into the scoop again, unperturbed. “It’s faster this way.”

“Positively barbaric,” Ignis sighed fondly and reached to wipe a dollop of ice cream off Gladio’s nose. Gladio huffed, but didn’t stop him.

“What can I do, it’s good stuff.” He shrugged. “I’m not gonna wait for it to melt all over me like Prince Snoozy over here.”

Prompto glanced over to Noct, just in time to see a fat drop of ice cream slowly roll down the side of his cone.

“Watch out, Noct! You’re leaking!”

“Where?” Noct tipped his cone dangerously, and Prompto’s stomach twisted with fear for all that poor, beautiful ice cream.

“No, the other side! The other!”

“Don’t see it.”

“Dude.” Giving up, Prompto swooped in and licked the dripping bit before it could make a mess. Noct stared at him, barely restraining a smile.

“Gross,” he said flatly.

“Nah, it’s pretty good.” Prompto quickly turned back to his own cone to save it from sharing the same fate. “What is it, mango?”

“No idea.” Noct shrugged. “Didn’t see what she gave me.”

“I should taste it for you.” Gladio nudged him on the shoulder. “You know, just in case. It’s my duty as your Shield. Who knows what’s in it, right?”

Noct quickly moved his cone away from him.

“I’m halfway done with it already. Bit late for that.”

“Better safe than sorry.” Gladio leaned over and took a solid lick of Noct’s ice cream. “Hmmm, this is good. Hey, Iggy, give it a try!”

“I’m quite all right with my own, thank you.”

“No, Ignis, you should totally try it!” Prompto goaded, immediately catching on to that impish glint in Gladio’s eye. “Maybe you can figure out what flavour it is!”

“Yeah, and maybe it will inspire you for some new recipe.”

“You guys are horrible,” Noct decided, protectively stuffing half of his cone into his mouth.

“But that’s why you love us.” Prompto summoned his camera, mindless of the berry goop trickling over his fingers. He clicked the shutter button time and again, capturing Noct’s indignant face full of ice cream, Ignis stealing a lick from Gladio, all four of them with colourful smears over their smiles. They came out a bit blurry, with the blazing Altissian sun behind their backs, but it didn’t matter. Those were still some of the best shots he’d ever taken.