cookignis‌: 

It’s only natural to share the stage; it’s his time to listen to Noct speak. Like an invisible anchor, the circling thoughts of the past few months have weighed down his heart. From the secrets kept from childhood to the recent events with Nilfheim and everything else in between, all the little details wearing away at his confidence. He can’t show it. Not now. Ignis doesn’t want to voice it— doesn’t want to rub salt into his childhood friend’s healing wounds. Lest he reopen them and unleash a torrent of problems from there. The last thing they need now are complications. There are already so many ways it all can end so badly, Ignis doesn’t need to muddy the waters any further.

Perhaps his brief moment of inattention catches the watchful eye of Weskham as the older man places a reassuring hand on his back, urging him a bit forward. Urging him out of the tides for a breath and pulling him up like a buoy.

“That sounds like something we can work with,” he says with a thoughtful hum. Ignis tries to search for the words, plucking them from his thoughts. “As for disguising ourselves, I think we should have Weskham’s people on that. It would be a sticky situation for us if they had a means of detecting Lucian magic.”

The man in question nods in agreement at the idea. “Some of our scouts have stolen uniforms they can use. While the Glaives create a distraction on the outside, my men can disrupt them from the inside to add to the confusion. Leaving you two open to do what needs to be done with the equipment.”

Nyx and Crowe look at each other before nodding to Noctis. “The Glaives are ready to deploy at your order.”

“We’ll go with this idea then.” Ignis leans over the marked map again and circles the altar. “They’re likely to try and isolate the summoning altar in an attempt to awaken and take Leviathan. So the Godslayer should be on board one of the ships nearby. The Oracle’s life is a priority in this mission as well.”

With the briefing over they fall to prepare for their respective tasks. Ignis shows Noctis to the armory where smuggled and stolen weapons are kept. He picks up some daggers that can easily slip into his holster straps. “We need to be prepared with additional weapons in case they use the Wallbreaker and close off our access to the Armiger before we can destroy it. I suggest compact weapons we can easily carry around.” 

Without turning to look, he tosses a gun to the other. “I hope your shooting hasn’t gotten rusty.”

In the brief quiescence of the armory, the methodical checks he was making on the weapons he was holstering to his person, he felt as though there was a tangle between them. Years of secrets Iggy had only suspected but could never truly imagine, Gladio and Prompto’s betrayals, their displacement with the glaives that saw them evading capture and living harshly in the wilds, how Iggy had remained loyal to him despite having every reason not to; it was hard to swallow down his sentiments no tough exterior could entirely disguise. And here they were, about to embark in a battle that hadn’t been as colossal as the attack on Insomnia where they had just barely escaped with their lives. Too much had been left unsaid and the guilt climbed into his throat and flowered. 

“Iggy,” he began, voice thick with emotion, “look--I’m sorry. For dragging you through all this. You deserve better than this. You’ve stayed by my side despite all my secrets, and I just want to make this up to you somehow. When this is all over, I want to sit down with you and the guys and just...tell you everything. Answer all your questions. It’s the least I can do.” 

Something else hung between them, something nameless Noctis hadn’t realized until those long hours spent alone in solitary confinement for months in Zegnautus Keep. Just as he was about to say something, Weskham peeked in with an apologetic look on his features. “Are you two ready? We’re going to deploy soon.”

Noctis nodded obliquely, an answer enough that satisfied the former retainer. Finally feeling as though he had enough weapons and ammunition stocked on him, the prince left the armory with Ignis in likely tow. 

Solemn-faced, the rest of the glaives and Weskham appeared ready, Crowe and Nyx armed to the teeth while Pelna had finished polishing his kukri blades. Though he felt emotional then and there, they all had their marching orders. “Thank you guys, seriously. Let’s do this. We’ll defeat them all and get our home back.” All in seeming agreement, it was time to deploy. 

Dashing outside, the deafening thrum of the dropships and dreadnoughts carried an immense volume and presence that was atmospheric in depth, Gentiana having followed him as she would follow them while they cleared a path to the altar and simultaneously took out dropships where they could. 

Already, the first congregation of MTs and other Walkers that were able to be dispatched quickly enough, a hazy cloud of pain muddying what would’ve been much faster reflexes otherwise, but as the Walker was sundered in a downing explosion, the MT’s similarly dispatched, the lowering dropship intending on dropping off more MTs was intercepted by Noctis casting a host of Blizzara that impaled the airship through and sending it hurtling into the harbor. 

One down, a lot more to go.

“Iggy, over here!”

winterimbued‌: 

     A shrug was his only answer at first, memories not her own flashing behind her eyelids with vivid clarity. The Glacian was not exactly easy to understand, not even for someone so closely tied to her. Such was an Astral wont to do. ❝I can’t tell you what the first Oracle was thinking. It’s not her thoughts I hear, and I’ve never even met her.❞ Aizhan only knew of Gentiana from what little Shiva had told her about the woman. she did know, however, that Gentiana had been working within the Glacian’s wishes. ❝Look, I may have ties, rather deep ones at that, to the Glacian, but I am no Oracle. Nor do I claim to be. As a matter of fact, I don’t particularly care for the current Oracle, not after what she did in Gralea.❞

     The thought had been one particularly troubling to the young woman. Lunafreya had been young, yes, but it still left a scar on the mind of Shiva. Aizhan sat back, food now forgotten on the table, though she’s relieved once Noctis starts to eat. The trek here couldn’t have been easy, and the way back likely wouldn’t be, either. She freezes when she feels eyes linger on them for too long, her gaze snapping about the room for a moment before she settled again. They shouldn’t stay for much longer. Her nails tap against the table, in time to her heartbeat, the young woman deep in thought for a moment. She chewed on her lower lip for a second before sighing.

     ❝Admittedly, I wasn’t too sure this was a good idea before meeting you face to face.❞ A bit of an understatement, really. Their mutual friend had argued with her for a day and a half before the meeting was even set up. Aizhan sighed again, then leaned forward, ❝I can at the very least offer you help in travelling through Niflheim safely. Because you’re entirely correct. The Empire have no desire to better the world. And though you may have your own flaws, in my opinion it’s, and please forgive the wording, the lesser of two evils. So, if you believe my help is to your benefit, you have it.❞

At this point, Noctis wasn’t sure if he should sag in relief or pray that the Glacian herself wouldn’t nip him in the ass with an icicle or something. Considering, all that Gentiana had done in his extensive efforts to wrest his kingdom away from the Niffs and focus his attention away from a deathly prophecy the gods wanted nothing less than for him to succumb to, to submit to his fate and abandon his kingdom for some piecemeal solution that was a two-bit win for prosperity at best. His consignment wouldn’t make him stronger, but instead just another human pawn in their reparation of something that had been their fault to begin with. Noctis was still his mother’s son and her indignation of what had been done to her burned hotter than the Bahamut’s wroth and those who dared to defy him. 

“You’d be surprised. I see myself as a lesser of two evils, too. Definitely not alone in that,” Noctis mused as he sat back once he felt he’d eaten enough, always a bit of a light eater as it was. Crossing his muscled arms, the king gazed sidelong. “Thing is, we need to draw clear lines in cement, not sand. Nobody needs me to point out that this alliance is tenuous at best, and that’s putting it hopefully. We’re willing to work towards a common goal, which is vengeance for what they did to Shiva and Lucis, respectively.” And that was the brunt of it. Any more, and he knew it would involve denouncing his mother, the Forgotten, and beginning the journey towards the covenants at once. Even if the very idea of it made him want to wretch. 

“To begin, we need something binding. A conditional brand that marks our contract and reveals it to no one but ourselves. A promise to see this through and not engage in hostilities until them.” Noctis met Aizhan’s icy blue gaze again, leaning forwards to speak directly at her. “In return for working with you to bring down Niflheim, I won’t render any hostilities against the Oracle or Tenebrae, or her brother for that matter, or strike against the gods. In return, Bahamut has to vacate Lucis for good and keep the Hexatheon from our affairs. Does that seem like a fair enough deal to you?”

servomundi‌: 

     They’d certainly been busy the last few months, he and Noctis. New laws had been drafted, old ones revised, the entire council rebuilt from the ground up. There’d been the coronation proper, and his appointment as Shield. Nyx was well aware of the fact that many opposed to it at first, but Noctis refused to listen to any objections. And then there were the arrests… It nearly made him uneasy, the sheer number of sympathizers who were being rounded up on the daily. Especially back home in Galahd.

     Home… How long had it been since he thought of Galahad as such? For so long, he didn’t even have a home. Then, his perception of what ‘home’ meant shifted, and it became a person. The very man seated across from him. There’s a hum upon the Glaive’s lips, coupled with a grave nod. ❝I know. We have no other choice, at this point.❞

“I guess I’m just second-guessing myself too much. Sure, these arrests have to be made, but there comes a point where everyone else might worry the slightest bit of dissent will see them branded a betrayer. Plus, public approval for me right now isn’t the highest.” Noctis didn’t want to dwell on how poorly the people had regarded his father and King Mors before him, but both men had been inclement and punishing against public dissent. Hell, the idea of having public opinion on his performance had been a new concept after theirs and Niflheim’s rule. He could ratify all the laws he wanted, instate new charities and community invigoration and restoration that he wanted, but that didn’t mean he was making himself a publicly transparent king--especially when him having the mafia under his thumb was a tough enough pill to swallow. 

“I could care less about my image, but we both know it’ll probably be years before the peace and stability people want is achieved. Hell, we’re still at war with the Niffs.” As tempting as it could be to become isolationist for a time, doing what his predecessors had done would help even less.

“Familiar?” the king echoed the woman, mystified from the connotation, but that hardly dissuaded him from being at least a little bit intrigued. From what he’d experienced, spending his wakeless nights in the body of another Noctis of another world, he wondered if she meant him. 

“It’s alright. I’m probably not the first goth you’ve seen,” Noctis quipped back with a gaming smile.

@antimundi - permanent starter call!

“You seem…really familiar.” The girl remarks with a small hum. Was it how he dressed? How his hair was? Or…Or something else. Her curiosity burned in the back of her mind, but she bit her tongue before she could ask any more questions. 

“Sorry, that’s probably weird to say, huh?” She said as she ran her hands nervously through her hair.

no no you misheard I wasn’t taking you someplace romantic I was taking you someplace Romantic now let’s go explore that graveyard

[ cover ]

[ cover ]  for your muse to cover mine with a blanket or a jacket

Finals had been mowing him over more than he thought they would be, a fact of life even the crown prince of Lucis couldn’t escape. Already had taken his maths finals for advanced trigonometry, advanced calculus, and physics without much of a problem. Then the sciences in chemistry, biology, and advanced environmental sciences. Those tended to be easier, but it was in his writing class with the research paper he was laboring over that was dragging him to a halt. The prompt had been some dissertation on childhood trauma affecting adult development, having holed himself away in the Citadel library to try and plug through it after having shaken off Iggy’s offers to help when it felt as though the older teen did enough for him. The computer screen flickered off-white upon his features, re-reading a line on his tenth page of before grunting and deleting it entirely, despising how it was worded. 

Chasing a thought he scribbled down in his notes, Noctis hadn’t even noticed when he felt something drape on his shoulders, still warm from being worn, until he startled and spun around to see Gladio looming over him. His friend didn’t look especially perturbed, but glancing at the clock over the older teen’s shoulders confirmed his worst fears: it was half past six, a good hour after his scheduled training session with Gladdy in the Crownsguard training hall. 

“Shit,” Noctis sighed exasperatedly. “Look, I’m sorry, Gladdy. I’ve just been really busy with my essay. Let me make up to you. Wanna get dinner at that new diner they opened up downtown in an hour? I’m making good progress, and can finish the rest of this tomorrow, anyways.”

[ nap ]

[ nap ] for your muse to fall asleep against mine

Commencement ceremonies weren’t always the most exciting events to attend, but Noctis never really minded. It meant a break from being tutored by the various mentors the young Lucian heir cycled with throughout the day, which was always fun. That, and his best friend in the whole world, Ignis, always came with him! His dad was seated to his left while Ignis did to his right, the pair having been excitedly gabbing about a new trading card game set to be released that fall, but as time had worn on, Ignis had been growing increasingly more tired. He had tried to keep awake and apologized for dozing off, but at one point, the older boy had fallen asleep altogether. Cheek settled on Noctis’ shoulder, breathing softly, the boy looked to his father who glanced down from the e-mails he’d been sorting through on one of his work laptops and smiled at the pair, bringing a sole finger to his lips before resuming his work. Noctis beamed up at his father, a warmth fluttering in his chest. 

Shyly did Noctis circle an arm around Ignis’ shoulders, bringing him just a bit closer. The blond shifted slightly and sighed, comfortable, nestling into Noctis’ side. Though the younger boy blushed, he didn’t mind. With how hard Iggy worked, he deserved to be able to rest now and then.

[ look ] 👀

[ look ] for your muse to catch mine staring

That the king’s travails would become intergalactic in a manner of speaking was incredulous for even Noctis to believe. Like something out of science-fiction, a planet known as Replica Earth had been his destination, having been a week long trip despite Eos being in the same solar system as it. Continents had looked completely different from the port window, the formerly Niflheimian craft easing into its orbit. Intergalactic trade–a concept never before tried, it would be Noctis who would take Lucis’ prosperity to where it hadn’t even begun to dream. A day passed before he would be accommodated on the Emperor’s estate that hosted guests as prolific as royalty, finding Tokyo to be startlingly similar to Insomnia. It was in the city proper at the discreet venue Tokyo’s yakuza operated at that Noctis had been slated to appear, waiting outside with a small detail of Crownsguard keeping vigilant over their king, but the sight of a young man around his age caught the king’s eye from his staring. Wine-rose met that mismatched gaze, something feeling fated.

Weird. Maybe it was just coincidence, or whatever.

juarez // gerard way

Templo de Santo Domingo, Puebla, Mexico by Alvaro Matias

I am mad because I don’t know what you used me for Always talking about one day in Amerika It’s the same story You want glory son In Amerika! In Amerika! In Amerika!

nonverbal memes

add + to reverse who does the action

[ attention ] for your muse to touch mine as a way of getting their attention  [ sleep ] for your muse to wake mine  [ cover ]  for your muse to cover mine with a blanket or a jacket  [ lift ] for your muse to give mine a hand stepping up or over something etc.  [ kiss ]  for your muse to come up to mine and kiss them without warning  [ run ] for your muse to run their fingers through mine’s hair  [ braid ] for your muse to braid mine’s hair  [ embrace ]  for your muse to hold mine  [ smile ] for your muse to smile at mine from across the room  [ wave ] for your muse to gesture to mine to come closer  [ panic ] for your muse to grab mine’s arm or get behind them in a moment of danger  [ touch ] for your muse to rest their forehead against mine’s [ weep ]  for your muse to catch mine crying  [ eat ]  for your muse to offer mine food [ hit ] for your muse to attack mine  [ love ] for your muse to touch mine as a show of affection or reassurance  [ nap ] for your muse to fall asleep against mine  [ rest ] for your muse to rest their head in mine’s lap  [ look ] for your muse to catch mine staring  [ seduce ] for your muse to touch mine sexually  [ help ] for your muse to lean on mine for support  [ give ] for your muse to offer mine their arm  [ entwine ] for your muse to hold mine’s hand  [ laugh ] for your muse to laugh at something mine did  [ dance ] for your muse to dance with mine  [ sit ] for your muse to pull mine into their lap  [ yell ] for your muse to calm mine down  [ cry ] for your muse to wipe mine’s tears away  [ dream ] for your muse to wake mine from a nightmare  [ surprise ] for your muse to show up at mine’s house without explanation  [ fix ] for your muse to treat mine’s injury  [ sacrifice ] for your muse to get hurt protecting mine  [ guard ] for your muse to step between my muse and danger  [ taste ] for your muse to cook for mine  [ sing ] for your muse to sing to mine 

throatkissed‌: 

;; – Though Corvo hid it well, he too looked forward to seeing the King again, even going so far as to be waiting for him at the water lock. Even he could not keep the faintest of smiles from coming to his tired features the moment Noctis stepped off the boat, dressed finely with a bottle and a red bow on it.

“Hello, Noctis,” Corvo greeted, his hand come to meet the other’s spare, then brought it up to kiss his knuckles. “I’d be happy to, so long as you intend to drink it properly. I’m too old for shots.”

Noctis couldn’t help but light up at the amorous gesture, even eliciting a faint dusting of pink on his tan complexion, but he hid the smitten expression hopefully before the other could see. Something about worrying about his image even though he was in his 30s with no looking back. Temptingly, he considered doing it back, but it seemed the moment had lapsed.

“Hey, no worries. Trust me, I’m not really one for shots, even though I might have tried it once or twice back at some parties in Via Caelum awhile ago. Wouldn’t recommend it.” Especially with the scolding Regis had given about a prince’s image, gangster or no. “Anything you might want with it? We have a decent amount of food with us.”

catncore‌: 

❛    eh…. i’d say about another hour or so. what can i do for ya, yer highness?    ❜

“Honestly, I wouldn’t mind some recs if you have them. I kinda split off from my friend, Ignis, since I wanted to surprise him. He really likes coffee.”

novuscaelum‌: 

“They did? We are?! Can we?!” Obviously, the answer was a ‘yes’ and Novus wasted no time in retrieving his swim trunks while donning a pair of sunglasses while sipping a small drink of water. “Ready when you are, Dad! We gonna go now? Should I meet you out in the Regalia?” 

@antimundi

“Well, I’m not going to be the one driving. Varis will. And there’s still the matter of picking a Crownsguard member or two to accompany us...” Given his reputation and status in the kingdom, he simply couldn’t up and go where he pleased if it wasn’t in absolute secrecy. And something so public wasn’t exactly that. “No, come with me. Remember not to go off on your own, Novus.”