#the other one is noctis ofc

[bluismie]

Super Giant writers I was not familiar with your game

[someobscurereference]

ive been rereading your ffxv fic "im trying hard to take it back" for literally four years now. please end my suffering and tell me how gladio feels. please. PLEASE. (but only if u want ofc)

(fic) Short answer: Gladio feels insane guilt and spends a lot of his life trying to make this up to Prompto. In the process, they deepen their connection as friends and do begin a relationship probably around the one-year mark of endless darkness. <3

Longer answer: (implications of abuse/violence tw but no worse than in the fic itself; just what others assume to be true even if it's not in the context of this specific fic)

Gladio is a secret romantic at heart who has always envisioned meeting his soulmate, but he's also duty-bound and duty comes first. So even though he reads romance books (amongst other types of books too) and indulges in his head a bit as many people do, he's often put his duty to the crown first and foremost in his mind. He also didn't imagine his soulmate was anyone on this trip and thought perhaps the person he may have been fated to meet died in the assault of Insomnia. Even if they were a refugee, they can't be a priority to him at this moment. His priority has to be Noctis.

Prompto has obviously grown on him over the course of their road trip, but there are aspects of them that don't 100% mesh (as is true with every realistic relationship). That said, Gladio never in a hundred years would want this moment of (understandable but out of line) frustration and anger in the wake of Luna and Altissa to be a permanent mark on Prompto's face. He's genuinely horrified and disgusted with himself for a long time after this and spends most of his life trying to make it up. He feels like a dirtbag about it.

That said, Prompto runs away from him in this moment and they need time to calm down, just as the fic shows. Noctis goes after Prompto, just like in canon. Prompto falls off the train and has his Despair Arc just like in the DLC, now with the added despair of "well, in addition to being a clone, my soulmate hates me. And in addition to the mark of inhumanity on my wrist (barcode), I have a giant hand print of him literally Shoving Me Away on my face. Forever."

Aranea: Well, do you want to die about it. Or do you want to live.

Prompto, eventually like in canon: Live, I guess. But it will be excruciating.

Aranea: That's what living is. We do it anyway. Your friends love you. Get off the floor.

He fights his way through his issues and gets rescued like in canon. Gladio probably tries to talk to him when they all catch up again, trying to apologize, and Prompto tells him to hold off on that for later.

Then, of course, Noctis is eaten by the crystal and "later" becomes much, much later as they evacuate and try to survive in eternal darkness. (Though they also can't Not think about it because it's a giant hand print. On Prompto's face. And every person they meet has Something To Say about it, for better or worse, whether they knew Prompto before or not. Prompto cannot escape it, and when Gladio is not doing Crown Duties he feels he must do in Noct's absence, he's with Prompto, so he also Cannot Escape It either. Even when the person speaking is unaware that Gladio left that mark. It's almost worse when they don't know, but when they see it's Gladio, who is such a big guy who seemingly hit Prompto and left that permanent mark there, some of them get nasty to him and some back off out of fear. Both are horrible. The guilt is eating him alive.)

Eventually, enough time passes as the dust settles that they do Talk About It. Gladio apologizes sincerely, for the 500th time. Prompto's like, "Well. It's not like you could have known that this would be The One Time it happened." And then cracks a joke about their soulmate mark being a Prompto's hand print on Gladio's ass from a butt slap in another life, which does help the tension somewhat. (The more Gladio tries to apologize, the more Prompto grows sick of hearing it, so they just have to move on and keep going, as he's learned to do.)

They grow closer over time, especially because there's not a lot of people who have survived to this point and even less later on. They do get together romantically, both because they do like the idea of soulmates (for different reasons) and also because they're living out of each others pockets for years, so there's an affection and dependency that develops there. Also, teenage Prompto always thought Gladio was really handsome and teen Gladio thought Prompto was cute and sincere for a pipsqueak.

When they are out together on dates in normal settings surrounded by strangers after the light returns, Gladio will receive dirty looks for the rest of his life from strangers who see the hand print on Prompto's face and immediately (correctly) assumes it was out of anger rather than a funny accident or something. (Edit: Some people will assume there is a funny story attached. Gladio will not know what to say to this. Prompto will play along.) He will learn to live with this. Prompto is really grateful Gladio is with him despite everything.

[commandantexekial]

i can finally do something like this for my commandant :3 (apologies for the blurred images i did this on my phone lol)

(credit to @ riaminime on twt)

and below is an entire in-depth analysis of Exekial's relationship to everyone if you care to read the giant slop of text:

Exekial to Constructs

Gray Raven

Lucia: literally the only person he'd entertain having a romantic relationship with. Exekial's demiro-ace, so ofc he'd end up falling for the one person who's been with him since the beginning lol. however, i can't see him actually getting into a relationship with her until Pyroath. idk why, probably maturity level

Liv: considers her very trustworthy, verging on almost familial affection. knows she has his back when it comes to injuries, and she knows he'll do whatever it takes to protect her and the rest of Gray Raven. often fusses over him since he has an insane amount of unluckiness when it comes to injuries (and also cuz he's a self-sacrificing idiot)

Lee: also considers him to be very trustworthy and reliable. at the very beginning of Gray Ravens' career, Exekial took enjoyment in teasing the normally stoic Lee, much to the latter's exasperation. eventually Lee warmed up to him, and now he acknowledges Exekial as a reliable commandant and friend

Strike Hawk

Chrome: considers him to be a good friend and comrade and knows that Chrome has his back, although that's all Exekial considers him as. On the other hand, Chrome very much definitely likes Exekial romantically, which can lead to some... awkward moments

Kamui: neutral (favorable) towards him. Exekial doesn't really hang out with Strike Hawk and only works with them on joint missions/when he's assigned as their temporary commandant. Exekial considers Kamui a bit too high-energy for his taste, but he occasionally indulges Kamui in a video game match

Wanshi: neutral (favorable) for similar reasons to Kamui. Doesn't hang out too much with Strike Hawk, but considers Wanshi reliable while on joint missions. For the most part, Wanshi is also neutral towards Exekial, considering him a respectable commandant and a reliable teammate

Camu: neutral (slightly negative) towards him. Exekial tries not to interact with Camu too much since Camu seems to be in a grumpy mood and brooding most of the time, and outside of missions, Exekial usually ends up having to mediate a conflict whenever Camu lets his temper get the best of him. However, when on missions with each other, they can often set aside their differences and work together

Cerberus

Vera: neutral (negative) towards her. Exekial respects her as captain of Cerberus and also understands that Cerberus's mission set and tactics are VASTLY different from Gray Raven. All the same, he could REALLY do without the suggestive comments (which he knows that she makes just to mess with him, but it's uncomfortable all the same). Vera thinks Exekial can be naive and a fool sometimes, which makes it fun for her to mess with him. When they're forced to work together, they respect each other enough to set aside their differences and get to work

No. 21: has a soft spot for her, sees her like his own kid sometimes. He can relate to her due to his own backstory, and as a result he wants to help her find her place. For her part, No. 21 trusts Exekial and likes having him around

Noctis: neutral (favorable) towards him. Apart from a few joint missions, Exekial and Noctis haven't really interacted much one-on-one until ER05, where Noctis learns Exekial is surprisingly good at making drinks, having worked at a bar during his studies at F.O.S. After that mission, Exekial and Noctis gained a new respect for each other. Sometimes, if Exekial decides to make a drink for fun, he invites Noctis to taste-test it

Akdilek Commercial Alliance

Sophia: also has a soft spot for her, tries to treat her well and makes sure she's comfortable whenever she visits Babylonia. For her part, Sophia likes Exekial's company

Changyu: while he could do without the scamming and trickery all the time, Exekial thinks of Changyu as a reliable ally and enjoys talking to him whenever Akdilek collaborates on an event with Babylonia. Changyu has jokingly vowed to try and scam Exekial into a deal someday. His current loss streak is 297, but he's still trying

WGAA

Selena: Complicated, to say the least. He has a lot of guilt on "killing" Selena when he fought the Siren, and his guilt was compounded tenfold when he found out she was his pen-pal way back when. Despite this, Selena doesn't hold it against him and wants to get closer to him, and Exekial is slowly working his way through that guilt to being friends with her again. However, it gets kind of awkward since Exekial is aware Selena has romantic interest in him, so he tries to gently turn her down and encourage her towards Ayla

Ayla: thinks Ayla is fun to be around, enjoys spending time with her. Ayla is forever grateful that Exekial tried to help her find Selena and tries to repay her gratitude by inviting him to showings of her artwork. Also unbeknownst to Ayla, Exekial was acting as her wingman in getting her and Selena together

Kowloong Chamber of Commerce

Qu: ultimately neutral towards her, though it borders on dislike. Exekial doesn't appreciate how Qu chooses to sacrifice her citizens as pawns, but also acknowledges that they have different values, and as the Monarch of Kowloong, she must make tough decisions. For her part, Qu feels a complicated mix of emotions towards Exekial. Whether it's loathing, begrudging respect, or something else, not even she knows

Pulao: also also has a soft spot for her (in general Exekial has a soft spot for kids). Pulao considers Exekial a trustworthy adult figure and looks up to him

Church of Machina

Nanami: at first found her a bit much to handle, but misses her dearly now. Knows she's sacrificed so much just to help him, and feels he can never repay her. Nanami is just happy to have him around and wants to make sure he's safe, even if she has to search through a thousand timelines to find the one where he lives

Haicma: mostly neutral towards each other, especially since they have never interacted one-on-one with each other

Hanying: also neutral towards each other, although Exekial acknowledges that she was a huge help during the events of CH28. Hanying's heard a lot about Exekial from Nanami, which sparks her curiosity about him

Ascendants

Alpha: very, very complicated. Exekial met her when she was still Lucia during his pre-F.O.S. days, and while they parted ways, they never forgot each other. For Exekial, his interaction with her left a lasting impression that motivated him to continue working towards becoming a commandant, and even after Lucia decided to become Alpha, she sometimes wondered about him. Though they eventually met on the battlefield and continued to oppose each other, they never really hated each other as people; rather, their circumstances placed them in this position

Luna: also kind of complicated, though to a lesser extent. He feels sympathetic towards her for everything she and Alpha had to suffer and is okay with helping her out from time to time, but only as long as she doesn't pose a direct threat to Babylonia. Luna considers him as the only trustworthy human commandant and has a fascination for him that is neither platonic nor romantic, but a secret third thing

Roland: neutral (negative) towards him, especially after the events of CH30. Exekial respects Roland well enough to work with him, since Roland is very serious when it comes to Luna's well-being, but otherwise Exekial tends to ignore Roland's antics. Despite his clown-like persona, Roland doesn't think that strongly of Exekial, choosing to trust him since Luna trusts him

Lamia: neutral (slightly favorable) on his side, complicated on hers. Exekial sensed that something about her changed when she came ashore and handed them the egg. While he still considers her a threat, he might be open to a friendship with her if she initiates. Lamia still has a lot of trauma to work through after seeing clone Exekial die in front of her, which leaves her hesitant to approach Exekial (especially since she doesn't know if clone Exekial was a true reflection of real Exekial), but she still wants to make sure he stays safe

Others (Individuals/Unaffiliated)

Bianca: platonic on his side, romantic on hers. Exekial enjoys going on joint missions with her and considers her respectable and a trustworthy ally, and he sometimes chats with her outside of missions. He was, however, taken off-guard whenever Bianca initiated physical contact that seems just a liiiiiittle more intimate than friendship (wata pls come get ur ex he's not paid enough for this)

Karenina: finds her to be endearing at times, loud and annoying other times. She most definitely has a crush on him, which only adds another layer to her one-sided rivalry with Lucia. Exekial knows her crush will eventually die out, however, so he just leaves it be for now

Bambinata: neutral (favorable) towards her. Doesn't really understand why she's still with Vanessa, but respects her decision all the same. Apart from that, they don't really interact with each other. On her part, Bambinata is confused on why Vanessa mentions Exekial so much, eventually concluding (mistakenly) that they're friends

Noan: neutral (favorable) on Exekial's end, platonic on Noan's end. While Exekial hasn't interacted much with Dark Aries when it comes to missions, he considers Noan to be a good person and hopes Babylonia sees that too. Noan wants to be friends with Exekial, and while Exekial would also be open to getting to know him better, they just don't see each other enough to call it a friendship

Watanabe: highly respects him as a leader of the Forsaken. Exekial admires Watanabe's leadership style and wishes to strive towards that himself. Watanabe considers Exekial incredibly trustworthy and hopes to ally themselves together in the future

Rosetta: respects her as a leader of the ARU and thinks positively of her, is open to working with her whenever the need arises. They don't really see each other that much due to missions in Babylonia rarely involving the ARU, but the few times they've met, they think highly of each other. Rosetta may also have a slight crush on Exekial (please girl diana is right there)

Alisa: respects each other. Exekial is sympathetic towards Alisa's story and wants to help her, which Alisa greatly appreciates. However, they mostly view each other as comrades. Exekial also hasn't seen her in a while, and occasionally wonders how she's doing

Constructs to Constructs

most relationships follow canon, with a few exceptions:

Lee/Liv: sorry not sorry, i am a leeliv truther. they're just so cute together (grumpy/sunshine, unconditional love dynamic), so i'm rewriting my universe's canon to include them. sad i don't have a lot of them in my backstory fic series for Exekial, but mayhaps someday i'll rewrite some of the canon chapters

Ayla/Selena: PEAK. no comment from me :3

Watanabe/Bianca: idc what you say, they are divorced parent core. i'd like to think at first they despise each other, but once they start working with each other, little by little they grow to become friends again. and maybe throw in some pining bc why not lol

Luna/Roland: a little on the fence about this one tbh lol, i absolutely think Roland simped for Luna starting from the very beginning. at first, Luna just kinda treated him like a henchman and ignored his antics, but she eventually warms up to him as a friend. she might question her own feelings eventually, but for now they seem very platonic with each other

also honorable mention:

Rosetta/Diana: i respect the rosettalpha shippers, but personally my heart is towards rosetta/diana. idk, they just really care about each other and i think they deserve the best

Exekial to NPCs

President Hassen: neutral (favorable) towards him. while Exekial appreciates Hassen usually sticks up for him, he also knows it's usually for a political/tactical reason. as such, while he considers Hassen to be more pleasant to interact with and respects him, he doesn't want the relationship between them to extend beyond professional

Celica: since she's more on the commandants' level, she understands stuff that most of the higher-ups never will. because of that, Exekial feels more comfortable interacting with her outside of a professional setting. occasionally, he'll invite her to get drinks with him and several other commandants

Commander Nikola: neutral (negative) towards him. like Hassen, Exekial understands that Nikola is simply doing what he believes is best for the world, but unlike Hassen, he's less pleasant to deal with. Nikola was at first suspicious of Exekial's relationships with the Constructs, but eventually mellowed out. they still occasionally butt heads, however

Asimov: neutral (favorable) on Exekial's side, true neutral on Asimov's side. Exekial thinks Asimov can be shady at times, but having worked with him on more than a few occasions, he's okay with working with him. Asimov is alright with working with Exekial, but he views it more as a means to an end and keeps a strictly professional relationship with Exekial

Hippocrates: neutral (favorable) on both sides. Exekial respects Hippocrates for being a reliable doctor and is glad that Liv has a mother figure to look up to. in turn, Hippocrates is glad that Liv has a commandant who cares about her

Collins: hate. Collins reminds Exekial too much of another Kurono higher-up he knows all too well, and his dislike for Collins only intensified after Collins locked him up during CH14

Rebecca: also hate. in general, Exekial dislikes any Kurono lackey who is still actively working for Kurono, and his feelings against Rebecca intensified after Rebecca attempted to manipulate him while he was in captivity

Ishmael: doesn't really know what to think of her. respects her as a member of the Control Court, but sometimes feels as though she knows more than she's letting on

Hans: neutral (negative) towards him. not for any particular reason other than Exekial butted heads with him during EX04. however, he set aside his personal feelings for the mission to Pulia Park and was saddened to hear about Hans' death after he woke up from his coma

Murray: neutral, favorable on Murray's side. on the one hand, Exekial knows he's Lee's brother, but on the other hand, he's aware of the shady dealings Cerberus undertakes. on his part, Murray has heard Lee speak highly about Exekial and is grateful that his brother has a commandant he can count on

Vanessa: neutral, negative on both sides. having opposing ideologies ever since their time together at F.O.S., they frequently butt heads over various tactics and treatment of Constructs. however, during battle, they know they can count on each other when push comes to shove

Simon: likes Simon as both a commandant and a friend. since both of them were outcasts in some way during their time at F.O.S., they quickly connected with each other once they graduated and became part of the Task Force. Simon looked up to Exekial during their time at F.O.S., but due to being intimidated by Exekial's status as Chief, he chose not to approach Exekial until after they met during EX00

Harley Jo: became friends with him after the events of CH17. during their time together at F.O.S., Harley Jo thought Exekial was snobbish and arrogant, often ignoring the people around him and keeping to himself. later, when they worked together in the Task Force, he was surprised to see Exekial was down-to-earth, sparking a mutual respect that eventually turned to friendship. the events of CH21 later left an air of awkwardness between the two of them, but after some time, it eventually cleared up

Sica: likes her spirit and decided to take her under his wing whenever they have a mission together to teach her how to become better at field work. she really looks up to him and was at first intimidated by him, but eventually realized he's not that intimidating and became friends with him

Vonnegut: doesn't like him much, but not worse than Kurono in Exekial's honest opinion. not sure what Vonnegut wants, but will stop at nothing to prevent him from carrying out his plans

Gabriel: definitely hates him. unlike the rest of Luna's crew, Gabriel doesn't have any redeeming qualities to Exekial. hatred intensified when Exekial realized what Gabriel did to Selena

Cinderlik: only antagonistic towards her because she aligned herself with Vonnegut; doesn't have any opinions otherwise

Lithos: doesn't like, finds him pretentious and annoying. also would rather Lithos stop comparing him to Ravenge

Merciful One: suspicious of her intentions. sees her as a wildcard, tries to keep an out for her whenever they go out on missions

[coconox]

what if,,,, hypothetically speaking,, i do a frame by frame analysis of the nocti v nigel cg,,, ahahaahaaaa,,,,,,

I AM GONNA PUT THIS HERE NOW THERE ARE SPOILERS FOR SANDS OF WRATH AND, OBVIOUSLY, SPOILERS FOR THE CG

i do recommend watching the cg first before reading all this since i will mention a lot about nocti and nigel's movements using timestamps for the vid since my storage hates me and i can't really properly add multiple clips 💔

!! LINK TO CG ANIMATION HERE !!

I WILL ALSO BE USING MTL FOR ALL THE DIALOGUE SO I'M VERY SORRY IN ADVANCED IF THE DIALOGUE IS INCORRECT TO WHAT IT ACTUALLY IS

from the get-go i will mention that before nocti entered this fight, skk had a m.i.n.d link with nocti. and since skk is poisoned, nocti is gonna feel the same over the time

aside from him coughing up vital fluid at 0:39, you can really see the poison start getting to him when he fights. starting from 0:14 you see nocti's movements getting slower and slower which becomes more obvious when you see him throw less punches/kicks and his reaction time worsening, allowing nigel to easily counterattack

callback to his last fight with nigel shown at the beginning of the chapter

ER05-01

i would also love to point out how nigel is such a good foil for nocti. from the opposing color schemes to their behavior. nigel having a black color scheme to fit with the whole idea that he is an assassin hiding in the shadows (which is an often recurrence of him throughout the story by either him watching nocti in the distance or showing up unexpectedly). black can also be associated with power and death, connecting to the fact that nigel carries such a strong poison to where there's no known cure, which allows nigel to easily control others to his bidding and/or make them suffer. as opposed to nocti having a white/vibrant red color scheme to fit how bold or loud he is. red can be associated with anger and white can be associated with purity/innocence so it fits with his personality too (since nocti is often left in the dark of a lot of situations back when he was in the purifying force)

ER05-08

around 0:46 - 0:57, 1:05, 1:18 - 1:33

essentially any part where nocti is heavily breathing

ER05-01 structure that this narrator is mentioning is nocti

this is probably leaning more into hc territory, but i think out of all the playable constructs we've met, nocti feels the most "human." he eats, drinks, sleeps, has breathing patterns that the narrator loves to point out, basically does a lot of human practices that constructs don't need to necessarily do, but he does it out of habit. he even believed at one point that constructs can get sick (obv they can't)

dialogue at 0:27

nigel: "you are still the same as before" nigel: "everything covered by anger" nocti: "nigel!!!!!" nigel: "you always thought my poison could only be attached to weapons, right?" nigel: "never doubted what i said"

callbacks to the last fight nocti had with nigel. when nocti was at his lowest, that's when nigel finally spoke. nigel alludes to nocti's naivety again, making nocti finally realize the poison wasn't contained in a separate attachment/weapon, rather nigel is the poison itself

ER05-12 nocti telling skk where the poison might be (remember at this time he still didn't know how nigel injects the poison, he just knows nigel has the ability to do so)

ER05-08 nigel pointing out nocti's naivety

the realization of where the poison's actually located, after the dialogue at 0:27

the location of the poison is more obvious in the reference sheet of nigel (since the ref removes the cloak he's wearing) (link to tweet about nigel that includes this ref)

callback to when nocti and skk first began to plan how to track down nigel after the rediscovery of nigel's poison

ER05-12

callback to him saying "leave everything to me" shown in the previous image.

the light in nocti's hands in the animation is skk (figuratively, not literally ofc LOL), having faith in him that he WILL beat nigel and will give him their all to help. though honestly, all he ever really needed was someone to trust him unconditionally

2:15 - end

"give that bastard a taste of our true wrath"

"partner"

the peak embracement of nocti and skk's partnership. this was the missing piece that he needed to finally beat nigel.

ever since the beginning of this chapter nocti has implicity or explicitly stated (whether it be through his first encounters with skk or in flashbacks of his hubris being in the purifying force/early days of cerberus) he prefers to work alone and leave it at that. he thought it'd benefit everyone if he didn't rope people into his mess, and he fully believed finding and confronting nigel again is something only he should burden

ER05-06 nocti and skk took turns asking for context of what's been going on

skk, cerberus, and the people of new oakley however say otherwise.

skk, in their words, "took a gamble" and just had a gut feeling to stick around and help him and even be down to consider him as a partner

ER05-05

ER05-06

it should probably be noted that skk saying they believe him "just because" carries a lot more weight than at first glance. having someone believe him without him really needing to prove himself with evidence makes nocti appreciate skk a lot more than when he first encountered them in EX05 or at the beginning of this chapter, showing that skk isn't like everyone else he's met and perhaps has a chance to be friends or more with them

ER05-11 first instance of nocti calling them partner

ER05-11 nocti "subtly" correcting vann with referring to skk as his partner

these screenshots can keep going on and on but you get the idea LOL they call each other partners from ER05-11 onwards.

21 and vera believe cerberus isn't complete without him

ER05-15 despite nocti technically being considered as a part of the purifying force at this time, vera and 21 will always believe he truly belongs in cerberus

and the people of new oakley see him as a brother/friend they could rely on and share a drink with

ER05-09 after nocti saves new oakley he gains a lot of respect from the people in town and they all decided to celebrate nocti's win

for most of his life he was practically feared or looked down upon by the people he was with 'cause of his loud and reckless demeanor, and to finally have that revelation that he IS wanted, needed, LOVED even, that people are able to put their trust and faith in him, that allows him to be the best version of himself he could ever ask for

am i looking too deep into this? probably

there's probably a lot of bias from that whole analysis i just love nocti ok—

i do wish we can see more of his backstory. he's one of the few that actively hide it (with the addition of vera not revealing it out of some respect for him), and i just wanna do a deep dive of how he became the way he is today. he's also one of the older constructs given his frame id (BPO-03), makes me wonder how or why he became a construct in the first place-

anyways, that's my rant for the month, ty for reading if you made it this far lol

have some love and a cookie you deserve it ❤🍪

[corcnaiism]

;-- mini analysis of some of the songs "tea party of the dead" ( name still under construction ) would perform. solely based on the modern au and interactions between me and @.excultum's muses. i like to believe all four bros contribute to writing songs tho they won't always reveal where they get their inspiration from. note: not every lyric reflects them and ofc they would change names and pronouns for privacy reasons from the public.

kathleen: a song about noctis' annoyance towards gladio bc those two have the most tension amongst the four ( mostly bc gladio isn't open about his big fat crush on nocts )

cocoon: a song about noctis towards prompto. nocts would literally die for prompto and refuses to let the rest of the world make prompto think he isn't good enough.

pacifier: a song about gladio towards noctis. same thing with the kathleen song tbh. those two just struggle to be "normal" with each other.

anything: a song about ignis towards noctis. mainly surrounding their struggles with each other whenever they would end up arguing. ignis has his boundaries but still is heavily there to support nocts no matter what.

fallout: a song about everyone in the group during their struggles with one another.

I pissed you off again

So that you'd leave me alone in Leeds again

And I got my stuff and left

Cause I got this friend, see, who put me up again

the first verse is noctis' pov.

So I spent my yesterday

Ducking your calls and in fear that things had changed

So I tidied up my place

'Cause you always told me it got me thinking straight

the second verse is ignis' pov.

You see now

I'm sorry if I drove your matches to my clothes

But you know how I can get sometimes

You see now

I'm sorry if I drove your matches to my clothes

the tiny bridge right before the finishing chorus is gladio's pov.

You see I, I was a test-tube baby

That's why nobody gets me

You see I struggle to sleep at night

But it's fine, she never lets me

You see I, I was a test-tube baby (always seem to just)

That's why nobody gets me (fall out when I'm most in)

You see I struggle to sleep at night (need of it)

But it's fine, Mary don't let me

and the finishing chorus is prompto's pov.

noctis is the bane of everyone's existence djsnaoskwjd but they are all supportive of each other and bros/boyfriends for life bc yes they are all dating

[noxtivagus]

oh man i still love ffxv so much 🫶🏼

[tonberry-yoda]

hi hello okay i’m back because i just heard that FINAL FANTASY 16 IS COMING OUT AND IM SUPER PUMPED BC LIKE AHHHHHHHH! but with that being said, can you write hcs for the chocobo boys (if not just prompto is fine💕) with a medic s/o? they are kinda witchy but love cooking and handling animals but they also are the medic for the team bc the squad can’t all rely on noct😭😭 gaaahh tysm and BIG CONGRATS ON THE MAGAZINE THATS SO FRIGGIN COOL!!!💕💕

Chocobros with a medic s/o

notes - I HAD TO GET TO THIS ONE BECAUSE IVE HAD A SECRET FFXV BRAINROT AHHHH. And omg I am also super excited for FFXVI!!!! <33333 I just love this idea too so thank you so so so so much for sending it in <333 AND OMFG THANK YOU FOR THE CONGRATS IT MEANS THE WORLD I AM SO EXCITED TO SHOW YOU GUYS!!!

Prompto

this man is so grateful to you

like you are his saving grace

we all know this little dummy will find his way to fall in a ditch and hurt his arm by accident

without you, he'd probably be dead LMFAO

he will always walk up to you and in the cutest little voice be like... "y/n, I hurt my arm again"

and you'll just jokingly sigh and fix him right up

he always asks you about how you do it and all that and finds it really cool that you are able to fix him up with herbs and stuff

and when you cook for him??? he would never tell iggy, but he loves your cooking more ;)

also the fact that you're good with animals makes chocobos love you which means they are always just around you and that makes prompto love you more <3

Ignis

BRAINROT

you two definitely were the enemies to lovers troupe

like you were competing

you both could cook and take care of the others so it was immediate competition

you were always pushing each other around in a kitchen or whatever

but then you realized it was easier for you to deal with stuff as a team

and ofc you fell in love <3

he thinks you are very talented and honestly, when he's hurt, he will come to you and always feel bad lol

like he will feel like a burdan

please remind him that he isnt <3

he will love to learn how you use your herbs and stuff <3

overall, he just loves how amazing and talented you are and is so thankful about how you help the rest of the group

Gladio

this man trusts you with his life

he is always getting beat up and needs you there by his side to help

he appreciates it a bunch

and you'll always call him a big dummy when he gets hurt and then get straight to working on him, but that always makes him blush

make him ramen

please

like homemade stuff

please stop this man from eating cup noodles

but yeah, he is always getting hurt so to watch you work on him and help him out means the world to him

Noctis

this man gets too embarrassed to tell you he's hurt, so you always have to spot it

omg what a child

you will always get on his ass about that and he'll just be blushing as you work on him

ignis gets mad because you are super nice about Noct being picky and will make him food he enjoys instead of trying to make him something he doesnt like lol

you will baby him a bit because he is the king and he needs to be protected <3

he gets blushy when you do and act like he doesnt like it, but we all know he does <3

~~~~~

final fantasy masterlist | pinned post

2023 @tonberry-yoda – do not repost or claim ANY of my work as your own! likes, reblogs, and comments are not only welcome, but appreciated

~~~~~

[sylleblosscm]

anonymous:

❣️+ luna/noctis

---

Important Survey [accepting]

Who is the little spoon? Usually Luna because Noct has big protec instincts, however when he is tired or he's had a hard day, Luna will snuggle in behind him, kiss his shoulder and hum him to sleep.

Who sings in the shower? Luna sings in the tub, we've established this. Noct does not, but he does loiter outside the bathroom door and listen, because he's loved the sound of Luna's voice since she sang for him when they were children.

Who plays pranks on the other? They're a tag-team couple actually, watch out.

Who is the one who listens to pop music? Close enough, but Noct probably introduced Luna to pop punk. Actual footage.

Who brings the other a random cup of joe? Idk about Joe, but Luna makes the tea in this relationship. She likes to import different flavours and try them together.

Who picks the cheesy movies for date night? Since she didn't grow up with access to electronic entertainment, Noct has an entire list of must-watch movies for Luna. They're working through it as a team.

Who is more likely to feed the other in public? ...Oh no, they are that insufferable, aren't they?

Who gives the other random little compliments? Look, if tooth-rotting adorableness isn't your thing, I am begging you to stay away from these two because they will "no, you hang up first" right to each other's faces. Keep that shit at home, you two. No one wants to see that.

Who is always stealing food from the other’s plate? Noctis is always putting his veggies on Luna's plate, does that count?

Who is more likely to let the other borrow their car?  Noct trusts his wife very much, but. Maybe it's safer to just get a driver, hm?

Who makes the list before they go grocery shopping? Literally anyone but them.

Who makes sure the other takes their meds when sick? Once a healer, always a healer. My instincts just tell me that Noctis is the miserable type when he gets sick, and you just know Luna will drop everything to take care of him. (Ofc he'd do the same, but she rarely stays ill long, so.)

Who watches sports and has to teach the other the rules? Luna missed out on a lot growing up, and Noct can't wait to show her.

Who pulls the other to their feet for a dance in the living room? Luna does this because she genuinely enjoys dancing. When Noct does it, it's to elicit some extra cuddles.

Who has to keep reminding the other to hurry or they’ll be late? Nobody. Luna has long since learned the art of pretending they have to leave an hour before they actually do.

Who is the one most likely to get a tattoo with the other’s name? I don't really see either of them as tattoo people. Royal image and all. But they have thier rings, and they have their precious book tying them together - that's enough for these two.

[bigbadmonstertruck]

uh so im back on my bullshit and i present to you, lucem sequimur verse noctis using etro’s light for anything but what he’s supposed to use it for.

in this verse, although only those with etro’s light can actually interact and summon the dead, spells can be cast so that anyone can perceive them. this causes chaos. noct and his ancestors like causing chaos.

there are definitely times in highschool history classes where noct would let the lucii gatecrash for various reasons. (the clever would make the most appearances, he has beef with the insomnian school system and its “horrific” history inaccuracies.)

no one ever gets used to it. at all. not even prom, in fact, prompto is just scared shitless every time.

somnus likes to crash literature for shits and giggles and noct tries to lure crepera out for poetry classes. crepera hates this. she is shy. she does not want to be perceived by a room full of gawking teenagers. but ofc sometimes her dad, the clever, drags her ass out of the beyond just to make her tell everyone that he’s right.

oh also noctis absolutely asks them for his exam answers, regis finds out and since he’s the only other lucis caelum they’re aware of and he knows when noctis summons the lucii, he ends up in the exam hall making sure noct doesn’t cheat.

tiny stella and noct also had tea parties with dead people. best blorbos.

[whyarewecalledtheshipname]

Ima preface with a disclaimer that im not saying all these ideas are 100% organically produced by my brain and ofc is influenced by other peoples ideas/theories.

A lot of unedited rambling, and a lot of questions, about Trailer Sora not being Kingdom Hearts Sora:

Man what if that really /is/ yozora and he looks vaguely like sora bc, sora's in his heart?

But then what would cause him to begin looking more like riku than sora? People pointed out the brown roots, the merged outfit—

Like three basic options are 1) yozora originally looks like kh sora and something begins to make yozora look more like riku, and the yozora was saw in the remind secret ep is in that "half and half" transitional phase

Or 2) yozora originally does look like riku? And him losing his sora features bit by bit is what makes him look so "half and half" in the secret episode

Or 3) yozora looks like a complete different person and who know why tf he looks like either sora or riku

The problem with option 2 is that yozora tells us his current appearance (in the secret ep) "isnt what [he] really look[s] like". But if he originally did look identical to riku, his secret episode appearance wouldn't be too far from that.

So that could mean either, he looks nothing at all like sora OR riku (fucking, noctis-esque maybe? Lmao?)

Or he does look nearly exactly like riku originally, but his altered features (the discolored eyes, the discolored hair, and even the discolored outfit) are different enough /to yozora/ to warrant him pointing out that he looks different from that form. As in, maybe he doesn't look /completely/ different, but to yozora, it's different /enough/. 🤷🏽‍♀️

The idea of "Sora" from the trailers not actually being kh sora has about equal merit in my mind as the idea that Trailer Sora looks different as a design choice to illustrate a mismatched/confused identity, broken heart, missing/wrong memories, or ofc being in a different world (perhaps one where a version of him also exists?), etc.

Another thing that would be weird about Trailer Sora being Yozora— (and im not even gonna get into the potential different versions there could be of these same characters, eg. the verum rex game version, the secret episode version, the version Nameless Star refers to and seems to know the appearance of) —is their meeting in the secret episode. If yozora originally looks like sora, why wouldnt he react to kh sora's appearance nearly perfectly matching his own (if he did look like /sora/ at some point)?

Instead they focus on names. "I've heard of you." "Why are you using sora's name?"

Is it because yozora's universe deals with the identity stealing gigas'? And so perhaps in yozora's experience, appearances mean nothing? And it's all about the "heart" that resides in the body?

And where did he "hear of sora"? From strelitzia, if she was the one who told him to save sora (after going through some trials which could be what we see in the trailer, the way sora faced a darkside as his tutorial boss)? Is kh sora really a game character in yozora's universe/world, or in a world yozora has visited? From MoM or some other black coat? Idek

I've rambled before about sora in yozora's heart (theory credit to steamwhistler), and maybe this could be it?? Kinda? But i dont think they'd make a whole ass gameplay trailer for a character who a) isnt sora or b) isnt someone we would play as long term but maybe Trailer Sora is pulling a roxas who tf knows

There's also the Keyblade. If Trailer Sora wasn't actually sora, he /could/ still use the keyblade right? Intuitively too, im assuming, bc the true wielder of that weapon is /in/ his heart. But why would he use it first? And without question? Assuming that whole fight from the trailer is in fact his first fight. Would this yozora not have his own weapon yet? Or does it just come so naturally (again, bc sora would be in his heart) that he doesn't think about it? Could that be connected to how yozora has both a blade and a gun, like kh3 sora? Would sora being in his heart be how yozora's weapons came to be? Is the new keyblade chain function something yozora does/did with his own/previous tools/weapons?? 🤷🏽‍♀️

Then there's the secret episode. The location. It's assumed to be the final world, or a version of it. But yozora can manipulate its appearance. He makes it look like sora's heart station, he makes it look like the city, then it becomes a day version of the final world.

Basically, where the fuck /are/ they? Could it really be the final world, if a "regular" person has such control over it? If it's not the true final world, what is it? Yozora's heart? Hence why he can summon sora's heart station (if it truly was his heart station and not an illusion)? Could he have influence over it if that final world was somehow connected to him?

But if it /is/ a heart, /anyone's/ heart, why does it get pixelated and such? It could be that yozora is some kind of data person, like data riku, who's "datascape" (ig the data person equivalent of a heart) has somewhat similar aesthetics, especially in ReCoded hd. Or could it be because regardless of if yozora is a "real person" or not, he (and sora) may have been in a data world during the secret episode, and therefore making even a real heart perhaps take on "data esque" qualities?

Basically, Trailer Sora is huge, has light, pale hair (tho it does look hella dark when he's running down the street), has riku's hairstyle (it even curls up in some parts), has some weird mix of his own, yozora's, rikus, and his toybox clothes, regular shoes, and it's SUSSY

[kurikorso]

Ok I rewatched the ffxv omen trailer cause it popped up in my recs and I was obsessed with it when I was younger and MAN imagine if the game followed the storyline of the omen

Like noctis heads off alone and insomnia is destroyed like usual (or he tries to head off with the buddies but something happens to separate them idk)

Niflhiem ups its number of magitek soldiers to an insane degree so noctis is constantly on the run (great opportunity for stealth sections im js, it would be hard to infiltrate and take down bases like you do in the og game when instead of four people you only have one ���)

His only companion for the journey is pryna, who remains mysterious and distant but still a good pupper

And Luna! It's hinted at that she's going on a sort of "mirrored journey" to noctis's so we could have two player characters! Half the game is noct's journey and half is Luna's (and umbra's ofc), if u really wanna go all out there could be a switching mechanic for puzzles and stuff 👀👀 like strategically placed reflective surfaces to jump through to switch characters in a mirrored world where doing stuff in one affects the other

And the best part!! The losing of the powers! Noct loses his ability to warp and summon weapons from the armiger as the trailer goes on, so it would be really cool if that became part of the gameplay, like a reverse to normal games where you gain abilities as you go

You start off with all the powers of the crystal, but you lose them as the story goes on and you have to find ways to adapt, like stealing weapons and using the environment to fight instead of relying solely on magic

It sounds like it would make gameplay more restrictive but it could actually open a lot more doors for a whole lot of diff ways to take down enemies, like how noct crushes that ma-x

I also love the sort of non-euclidean and dreamlike vibe of the trailer (thinking about that non-euclidean game engine video 👀👀👀) so levels or parts of the game have potential for some really mind fucky stuff

Also this fandom has a taste for psychological horror (pitioss, costlemark, the effects of the Ring) so a more chapter 13 esque vibe would work really well I think (obv without all the other hell that came with chap 13)

There could even be multiple endings... Or if you wanna make everyone sad just keep the original ending

Ok now I kinda wanna make my own game-

[secret-engima]

Huh, now I'm just a imagining a situation where all the monarchs of Eos have like a summit/meeting (think Kage Summit from Naruto) thing every decade or so where they discuss treaties and such. Ofc the Accursed attended too since he gets to flaunt his power and badmouth the other monarchs and is protected by Ye Olde Magick Rules. So when the next summit arrives the monarchs get ready to get badmouthed by the Accursed but then in comes in normal-looking tired Noctis and Retinue. Night Kingdom ask

*wheezes* that would ACTUALLY BE GREAT. Especially since someone has to tell Noctis at the last minute because of COURSE he doesn’t know about this. So he’s almost LATE and people are all tense because this will be the first time the Accursed appears since mysteriously calling back all his daemons and then kidnapping Prince Regis of Lucis (who is the one who told Noct about this).

Then the door swings open and in saunters ... a stranger.

With daemons and humans as his bodyguards and Prince Regis as his advisor.

WHERE IS THE ACCURSED? they all think, but only one dares ask in a politely strained voice (a few chairs down, Sylva is hiding her smile and Mors is rigid)

“Hey,” Noctis says as he flops down like a cat on his assigned throne (it was the creepy one with animal skulls on the arm rests, of course it was his chair). And perhaps he should be more formal and kingly but honestly he can’t be bothered to care. Holding up the cloud cover over Insomnia from this far away is tiring and these people think he’s evil anyway, “Uncle couldn’t come because I killed him, I’m the new Accursed now, please hold your applause and let’s get this over with, some of us actually have stuff to do other than sit on fancy chairs and look rich.”

Prince Regis facepalms, the humans in the new Accursed’s Retinue start snickering faintly.

[ticklefits]

gladnoct for the brotp thing please? 😳

(br)otp tickle ask meme!

gladnoct:

Who’s more ticklish?

absolutely noctis is. gladio’s really not even that ticklish for the most part, only on certain spots so if you try to get him without being absolutely sure you’re hitting a sensitive spot, it’s gonna be over for you. noctis and prompto have both learned this the hard way lmao

What kind of tickles are they sensitive to?

noctis is very sensitive to scribbling, feathers, and kisses. scribbling on his tummy or sides is a very good way to get him to squeak and giggle head head off, same with feathers, and kisses work wonders on his neck and ears. gladio’s probably only sensitive to rougher tickles, like digging and scratching; he’s got a lot of muscle and you gotta get through it somehow yknow

Which role (lee/ler) does each of them hold?

noctis is absolutely a switch, but when it comes to gladio, he’s a lee 99% of the time lmao and ofc gladio’s a ler the majority of the time, at least until ignis has had enough of his shit ( bc ignis knows where his tickle spots are and how to get him laughing )

How did they discover each others’ ticklishness?

gladio discovered noctis’ sensitivity when they were kids, during a round of training. unfortunately for notics, it became a pretty regular addition to their normal training, something in the name of “endurance” lmao meanwhile, noctis only found out about gladio’s ticklishness because of ignis 

Who’s more likely to instigate a tickle fight?

gladio, whether it be because noctis is being moody and needs something to help him cheer up or he’s being bratty and needs to be taken down a peg or two. noctis only attempts to start a tickle fight when gladio’s being sassy himself AND he can catch him off guard, because lord know that if he gets caught, it’s over for him 

How often do they tickle each other?

pretty often, they like to tease and taunt at each other, pushing buttons and whatnot to see who’s going to react first. again, it’s most common during their training and sparring sessions, since gladio can use that as an excuse and noctis has too much pride to walk away from the challenge

Who’s the least likely to ask for tickles?

gladio, definitely. noctis isn’t big on asking for them either, especially not outright because it’s embarrassing, but gladio is much more of a ler, so he’d be the one asking to do the tickling rather than being tickled. he’s absolutely asked noctis for it before, and it was just to watch him flare up red and flustered lmao

[coconox]

Why you love Mammon? Of course i'm not judging your favorite or something don't get me wrong here haha:D

I live love laugh Mammon too! And i want to know other Mammon lovers, what is the thing that makes them love him😋

i have quite a few reasons on why i love him so big ramble incoming LMAOHSHFJS

i think one of the biggest reasons is just vibes alone lol. my type in general is usually big brute exterior, soft and silly interior like with nocti from pgr and aki from neural cloud

theres also a common pattern of having the most dorito bod + tiny grabbable waists ive ever seen but thats a whole other topic 💀

+ most of the time theyre all shirtless? 🤨 i keep unintentionally choosing the ones that are/go shirtless more frequently than other chars so thats another weird call out to myself hsjfjskf

legit when i first saw mammon my brain was automatically like "i NEED him." it was literally the same as how mammon fell in love w mc, love at first sight LOL

anyw looks aside i very much love his approach of "i'll be yours and so maybe one day youll choose me." its a nice change of pace from the usual "youre mine and i will do as much as possible to prove youre mine." he ald knows everyones gonna try to claim you, so he found a workaround that stood out from the rest (actual big brain move imo). idk i like the more passive approach of him just letting you go at your own pace and he'll be there whenever

most of his card stories (havent fully read his attacker card tho cause im stuck on needing his sig 😭😭) normally have him submit to you and let you do whatever you like, even reassuring you that no matter how rough (or gentle) you wanna be w him, he'll always enjoy it (cause he gets to spend time w you hHHSHFJSKFK 😭😭🥹🥹🥹) and being rough wont hurt him in the slightest. idk i like being in control in most ✨️spicy✨️ situations and for mammon to be like "do as you please" just makes me very happy :3

hes also just very romantic and sweet and gentle and tHE LOVE CONFESSION IS SMTH I WILL NEVER GET OVER 😭😭😭🥹🥹🥹 you can tell he just loves you sm and as much as he wants to be like "youre mine >:3c" he normally doesnt do that and just lets you be free to do whatever

in one of the chats when you ask if its alright if you see other devils, hes very much ok w it as long as hes your #1 like HSJFJSKDK ?????? OFC YOURE MY #1 MAMMON LITERALLY NO ONE COULD REPLACE YOU 😭😭

also love how he carries mc a lot of the time in card stories, i just imagine he carries them like this

i also like how his greed is portrayed differently from the usual. like his greed focuses more on keeping/maintaining what he ald owns rather than trying to be on the hunt to collect everything (tbf he ald believes everything is his so theres most likely no need to really collect anything in his eyes).

other side note i just love his sticker he sends when he txts ITS SO CUTE HE LOOKS SO HAPPY 😭😭

tl;dr i like how hes very sweet and romantic and gentle despite how absolutely MASSIVE he is ;w;

i could go on and on w more examples but id just be stating the same points over and over again hdhfkskf

[corcnaiism]

prompto's modern verse continued final:

one day, someone invited him to a house party which prompto wasn't too keen about bc 1) he wasn't sure how the orphanage would feel about it and 2) he wasn't a party animal per say and wasn't too sure what he'd be doing. but he decided he might as well cross something off his non-existent bucket list and ask for permission to attend said party. he was given the go as long as he respected curfew. and so he went.

at the party, prompto didn't blend in well as he knew no one, didn't even see the person who had invited him there, and no one wanted to bother with him other than the bullies who ofc were there but weren't as hostile as they normally would be, mostly due to the alcohol and drugs they were ingesting. prompto wasn't too fond of taking any substance due to trauma, so he managed with just an alcoholic-free drink which he only took a sip from it once as he didn't trust anyone to not spike it. he did find some fun in using his now instant camera to take shots of whatever chaotic occurrence was happening, but it got boring real quick, so he decided it was best to dip earlier than intended and head home. however before he did, prompto spotted one of his grade's infamous and wealthiest troublemakers, noctis, who had been expelled a few weeks prior stumble his way into a bathroom. prompto knew nothing of the guy other than he was a massive asshole and all the girls and guys had the hots for him ( himself included ), but that wasn't the reason behind following noctis that night. his gut told him something wasn't right, so he allowed his legs to carry him towards where noctis had disappeared into. and he was thankful to himself for following his gut bc as soon as he entered the bathroom, noctis was on the floor spasming on a puddle of his own vomit. flashbacks to his mum's lifeless body on the bathroom floor triggered a response, and prompto immediately dialed the ambulance. he did what he could to keep noctis conscious until the medics arrived and not wanting to see another soul die before his eyes, didn't care for the backlash he received for calling the authorities to the house party.

afterwards, prompto would meet regis, gladio, and ignis who were eternally grateful to him for saving noctis. regis offered him a hefty amount of money as a thanks, which prompto refused to accept but regis didn't take no for an answer and stashed the money into prompto's hand, finalizing the reward. gladio and ignis welcomed him to their group and offered any help he may need as they were now bonded for life. this was the second time ( the first being his homeroom teacher ) that prompto felt accepted and a part of what he would consider a family.

prompto would do his best to visit noctis whenever he was given permission by the orphanage, mostly for an hour or two after his work shift. it was normally nighttime by the time he had a chance to see him, and noctis would be in and out of sleep due to medication he was under and his own habitual sleep patterns, but it was more than enough for prompto. at first, noctis wasn't keen on talking with someone he didn't know and thought it was weird and annoying for his dad to urge him to talk to the guy, but he got to know prompto little by little as time passed on. their first proper conversation that wasn't small talk was when prompto had brought with him his Nintendo Switch he worked so hard for to pass the time which piqued noctis' curiosity. their fascination with video games shined a new light onto their friendship, and it only skyrocketed from there on out.

eventually, prompto graduated high school and decided to start working full time at the same job he's been working at since he grew fond of it. he was now a legal adult, which meant he was free from the orphanage. with the money he had saved up ( much thanks to the extra bonus from regis ), he managed to secure himself an apartment, one near where noctis and the others lived. it was during this time that he began to show up visiting noctis ( who was already out of the hospital at that point and was trying to figure shit out ) after work with goodies he'd get from his work place. down the road, prompto recommended noctis to his work place if he didn't want to continue his education much like he, and soon enough, the two ended up being work buddies. around the same time, both of them recognized they were both music enthusiasts, prompto showing off his own skills by playing on his keyboard piano and singing, and noctis joining him on his electric guitar. this had noctis invite prompto to join his band with gladio and ignis, saying he was the perfect candidate and the last missing piece of the puzzle. of course, prompto accepted but little did he know that him accepting the offer was also him accepting moving out from his apartment and into the boys' house bc the next thing he knew, he was going back and forth moving from place to place. he was happy, however, to be living under the same roof as his closest friends and in a home where he felt safe and loved. the boys all supported one another, had their ups and downs, but stood by each others' side through thick and thin. they were so happy with each other that they ended up getting into a polyamorous relationship and live the rest of their lives being gay and stuff.

;-- just bc i won't be able to properly write prompto's modern verse completely and in a grammatically correct manner any time soon, ima just post a plethora of bulletins of important info. prompto's modern verse pt.1 :

prompto comes from the outskirts of insomnia where all the shady stuff happens. crime and poverty are the biggest issues of the area.

his parents were drunkards, never married, unfaithful, and only kept prompto for the extra money given to them by the system to "raise him". they used very little of the money for him and the rest for themselves. the dad worked as a construction worker and the mum was a stay-at-home "wife". the two were usually always away from home or passed out drunk, leaving poor baby prompto alone. it was a miracle he survives as he was neglected to all hell and only given the minimal effort to keep him alive.

prompto suffered from poor eyesight at an early age, but his parents never bothered to get him prescription glasses.

once prompto was old enough, the parents immediately sent him off to school as they didn't want to deal with a toddler at home. bc of how disconnected he was from his parents, prompto had learning difficulties as he could not communicate properly with others. luckily, his teachers were very helpful and caught him up, especially his homeroom teacher who remained the same throughout his kindergarden-3rd grade years. the parents never attended to any school related events, even parent-teacher conferences.

eventually, his dad would leave him a weekly allowance for him to use to buy himself food since his mum wouldn't bother cooking for both of them, and they didn't want to deal with a deceased child on their conscious. there were times his allowance would get stolen from him by his mum who desperately needed alcohol, and prompto quickly learned to hide his money and other personal belongings away. at some point, he would give up eating for a day in order for him to buy himself a pair of reading glasses. it still wasn't enough but better than not being able to see much.

due to their intoxication, his parents were abusive towards each other and prompto. they would yell, throw things, punch walls, and physically beat each other. this lead to prompto developing severe ptsd to the sound of screaming, other loud noises, and touch. he would also learn to wear long sleeves and pants to cover up bruises and cuts he'd receive from physical altercations with his parents bc he didn't want to be called "ugly" by others.

prompto favorite place throughout his youth was school, mainly bc it was the only other place he could go that didn't cost money for him to exist for a couple of hours. he may had trouble with his academics, but the drive to learn was there thanks to his homeroom teacher who encouraged him every step of the way. she was also the reason why he got into music early on, simply bc she found him eating lunch in the music room.

prompto grew a fascination with playing the piano when his homeroom teacher began teaching him. unlike his studies, he was a very quick learner when it came to playing instruments and shortly, he'd be performing in the school's talent shows. it didn't take long before he also picked up guitar and singing. due to the control he had with the sounds coming from the instruments and his voice, prompto found a means to cope with his ptsd and turn it into something soothing.

his homeroom teacher gifted prompto his very own keyboard piano for him to practice at home for his birthday, but he was hesitant to accept it due to fear of how his parents would react. his teacher insisted and said she would speak with his parents about it, so they wouldn't think otherwise, but that also was a big no from him. nonetheless, she drove him home that day and introduced herself to his dad who was the one who opened the door. he was already wasted when they got there, pissed off to all hell. his dad exclaimed they didn't need "charity" or "hand-me-downs" and yelled at her to leave. but his homeroom teacher urged to let prompto take this gift and explained how talented he was with the piano and other aspects, but the dad didn't want to hear any of it and flew off the rails by smashing the keyboard right in front of her face. this triggered red flags within the teacher and grew worried over prompto's state of being living in such an abusive household. she wanted to take prompto away but knew it would only cause more trouble, so she decided to leave and would call the authorities later. however, she had only been able to set one foot away when prompto's dad got so bothered by her presence and suspected she would call the cops on him, so he grabbed the nearest gun he had stored up and shot her point blank, killing her instantly. prompto had been there the entire time and witnessed everything, worsening his trauma. it only got worse when his dad dragged both him and his teacher's corpse to his truck and drove them to a secluded area in the middle of nowhere. his dad threw a shovel at prompto and forced him to bury his teacher which he pleaded against it but was beat in response, so he had to with tears rolling down his face. his dad threatened to kill him too if he ever said a word to anyone, so for years poor prompto kept his mouth shut in utter fear for his life. for further erasure of the crime, the dad wrecked the vehicle his teacher had drove in and dumped it in the largest body of water closet to insomnia. the cops never had a lead for years.

prompto's mum would die a year later due to alcohol poisoning. he found her laying on the bathroom floor and tried to save her by calling an ambulance, but he had been too late. his dad never cared.

due to heartbreaking tragedies taking a heavy toll on him, prompto's health declined dangerously. some days he would eat too much, some days he wouldn't eat at all. some days he would sleep all day, and some days he wouldn't be able to sleep a wink. this was where his weight issues began, being overweight. he would miss school occasionally bc it reminded him too much of his teacher, but he wouldn't miss a lot as he didn't want to be around the house when his dad was there, and he'd get a beating if the school called his dad, and he'd find out he had skipped school.

when prompto did go to school, his grades were poor, and he'd spend a lot of time in the music room where his deceased teacher used to spend the afternoons with him. his love for music had withered away since her passing, but it would eventually spark again when he wanted to play her a song on the piano in hopes that she would be able to hear it, as a means to give her a funeral of his own. he felt as though she would want him to continue with what she had praised him so much for, and he wanted to honor her wishes. with everything he played up till present time, she was always on his mind, dedicated and thanked her with each song he played.

entering middle school, prompto dealt with a lot of bullying for his overweight problem from students and his dad alike. seeing as how he was unable to run away or have the agility to dodge punches coming his way, he decided it was best to start dieting and working out in order to be able to defend himself bc he was tired of constantly taking it. it was a tedious and difficult journey as he would relapse several times whenever something triggered him, but he kept at it as he really wanted to do better, and he could feel himself getting better whenever he would follow routine. he decided to record his progress using throw-away cameras he'd buy with his saved up allowance and taking pictures of himself to see the changes he'd make. that was when his fascination with photography kicked in as he found it motivational to see the past and the present and compare them, liking the idea that he can capture a moment of time with a simple click. shortly, and when he would have extra film rolls, he would begin taking pictures of things he found interesting and began his own collection. he still has his old albums up till present time.

[noxtivagus]

remembering how. zack fair's still rlly one of my favs hehe