The chocobros are such a funny friend group. Noctis and his three boyfriends. Prompto and three of his crushes. Gladio and his three autistic friends. Ignis and the three guys he babysits.

thinkin about how Gladio is literally the only one of the Chocobros who's actually good at socializing and also the only one who's neurotypical, according to me

Prompto acts like a social butterfly, but he's actually riddled with anxiety and imposter syndrome at all times, that boy is never calm

Noctis couldn't give a fuck less about socializing, Prompto is his only friend who wasn't literally assigned to him and he likes it that way

Ignis can socialize because he was trained to...it's his job. however, need i remind everyone:

that man is sooo autistic. great at masking, yes, but does he actually know what he's doing? no

that leaves Gladio, who (in Japanese) has an extremely jovial voice & demeanor, who is capable of being a playful (and respectful) flirt, and who doesn't mind talking with people (while being perfectly comfortable doing so)

convinced none of them would ever get anywhere without Gladio

Final Fantasy XV - art history meta

a symbol of romanticism: sylleblossom - the blue flower:

final fantasy xv's sylleblossom has a very special design and meaning. Let's talk about what it stands for and how it can be connected to art history.

More below the cut.

Luna and sylleblossoms

In general, blue sylleblossoms can be seen as a symbol for Luna in ffxv. They grow in Tenebrae and are its national flower, she has a garden full of them. Blue sylleblossoms are her favorite flowers. She gifts Noctis a pressed flower in their notebook and it is a strong visual symbol in her death scene. According to the final fantasy wiki: "Different color variants symbolize different things, but the blue version represents "a heart that does not give up" and "sincerity"." But there might be even more to it.

The blue flower and romanticism

The blue flower is considered an important symbol in art history, and especially of romanticism, an art movement of the 19th Century. It represents the romantic longing for the unattainable and unreachable, the infinite and the unconditional, it is also often interpreted as a connection between man and nature. In addition, the Blue Flower developed into a symbol of wandering, which is also characteristic of the Romantic era (and a main theme in ffxv too :) - the word wanderlust got its meaning in the Romantic Period btw). This motif can be traced back to an old German legend that says that one could find the blue miracle flower at night and would be richly rewarded. Consequently, this miracle flower represents a cause that is difficult to achieve, but longed for by many.

Here's a cornflower as an example. I painted a sylleblossom recently and noticed the similar petal shape and color.

The legend

The symbol goes back to a legend and the poet Novalis. The blue flower embodies the longing for an unattainable thing. In the story, a young man dreams about a blue flower that calls to him and he longs to find it. When he finally sees it, he sees a tender face in the flower. This - as is shown in the course of the story - is that of his later fiancé. In addition, the text teems with symbols typical of romanticism. In romantic works, threshold motifs are often used, i.e. motifs that mark a boundary between reality and the dreamlike, such as twilight, moonlight, or the view into the distance, which is usually carried by an enormous longing of the protagonist.

Noctis and Luna

When we look at Noctis and Luna's relationship, we can find a lot of these motifs. The longing, the wandering and looking into the distance. Luna seems always out of reach but they long to be together. We see Noctis looking at the moon in old previews and when Luna says farewell she tells him to "look to the distance, know that I am there". Even their names represent typical romantic symbols (night and moon).

Night and moon are also typical subjects in romanticism. I really like the similarities here between the official artwork of the ffxv piano collection and the painting by C.D. Friedrich.

Luna's death

Here's a screenshot of the dreamlike death sequence and another painting by C.D. Friedrich, who is one of the most recognizable Romantic painters.

One more interesting thing I'd like to point out is the topic of death in romantic paintings and Luna's death scene. I think it's interesting that you can see ruins and a gate behind Luna. It looks like Tenebrae or maybe Altissia but the gate behind her stands out. In romantic artworks, ruins can stand for the past and especially gates represent the transition into the afterlife. We can find several threshold motifs in this scene. In ffxv, it might show that Luna and Noct are inbetween the world of the living and the dead in that moment. Luna then goes into the afterlife (in the direction of the gate) while Noctis is pulled back into life.

The flower turns into the ring, which shows us that her calling has been fulfilled.

I'm not sure if the references about the romantic movement in ffxv were intentional or not, but in any case it was fun to think about it :). I hope you enjoyed this short meta analysis and look into some art history :)

🗡️ Final Fantasy XV: Myers Briggs Types 🗡️

🗡️ Noctis Lucis Caelum [ISTP] The Pragmatist

“ISTPs are loyal to their causes and beliefs, and are firm believers that people should be treated with equity and fairness. Although they do not respect the rules of the "System", they follow their own rules and guidelines for behavior faithfully. They will not take part in something which violates their personal laws. ISTPs are extremely loyal and faithful to their "brothers".” (Source: Perosnality Page)

📸 Prompto Argentum [ENTP] The Visionary

“The ENTP is characteristically entrepreneurial and may be quick to share a new business idea or invention. They are confident and creative, and typically excited to discuss their many ingenious ideas. The ENTP’s enthusiasm for innovation is infectious, and they are often good at getting other people on board with their schemes. However, they are fundamentally “big-picture” people, and may be at a loss when it comes to recalling or describing details. They are typically more excited about exploring a concept than they are about making it reality, and can seem unreliable if they don’t follow through with their many ideas.” (Source: Truity)

🔥 Ignis Scientia [INTJ] The Mastermind

“The INTJ's interest in dealing with the world is to make decisions, express judgments, and put everything that they encounter into an understandable and rational system. Consequently, they are quick to express judgments. Often they have very evolved intuitions, and are convinced that they are right about things. Unless they complement their intuitive understanding with a well-developed ability to express their insights, they may find themselves frequently misunderstood.” (Source: Personality Page)

🛡️ Gladiolus Amicitia [ESTJ] The Guardian

“The ESTJ puts forth a lot of effort in almost everything that they do. They will do everything that they think should be done in their job, marriage, and community with a good amount of energy. He or she is conscientious, practical, realistic, and dependable. While the ESTJ will dutifully do everything that is important to work towards a particular cause or goal, they might not naturally see or value the importance of goals which are outside of their practical scope. However, if the ESTJ is able to see the relevance of such goals to practical concerns, you can bet that they'll put every effort into understanding them and incorporating them into their quest for clarity and security.” (Source: Truity)

*Back at it again on my Final Fantasy obsession. But in all seriousness I’ve been working on their individual profiles.

Okei I have to ask... Last day I see in Youtube comment in 'Ravus Aeterna' video someone writes 'Ravus is so interesting but he doesn't have scenes. If he has more scenes he will be the Artorias of FFXV'' I don't play Dark Souls but I knows a little of Artorias so my question is... What's your opinion about that comment?#GiveRavusmorescenesplease

Oooh, that is a really cool comparison, actually! Funny that you bring up Artorias, because he’s one of my favorite Soulsborne icons across the FromSoft games. Have a little figurine and everything that I love and cherish. 

I can see a lot of similarities between the two of them overall, but contrary to thought... Artorias only had, like, 40 seconds of screentime. But the major difference is that you got a crap ton of lore hidden throughout Dark Souls – something that Final Fantasy XVI should have done to really cover its bases when it comes to plot holes. I definitely would have made me log another 20+ hours into the game just meandering to find little juicy secrets and lore pieces hidden within items and locale details, you know? 

But I digress. The similarities between Artorias the Abysswalker and Ravus Nox Fleuret the High Commander Butthead, is kinda cool! Both are knights who are badasses with a single sword, both like dogs, both turn into gooey abyss boys, both get wrecked by the MC after they wrecked you seven-hundred times (no? Just me?) --- the list of similarities goes on! 

Okay, I joke a lot when I simplify it, but legit – the deep dive into the lore of these two is rad, so the comment really does hold up a little bit: 

Both were, of course, knights and soldiers. But both also have groups that, in a way, serve/follow them – with Artorias commanding Gywn’s army before eventually inspiring the Abyss Watchers and Ravus eventually leading the Niflheim army. Artorias may have had a much more pleasant group of supporters, but Ravus too had his own influence as time passed. 

Both wield the power of darkness on their side due to some aspect of corruption to them when they fight – before they turn fully corrupted, that is. Artorias's sword is cursed by the Abyss after travelling in and out of it. Meanwhile, Ravus’s arm is supposedly corrupted, as it’s realized that Magitek stems from Daemon power and scourge magic essentially. 

Speaking of arms... Both have crippled LEFT arm. Ravus of course had his burned by the Ring of Lucii and Artorias had his broken when trying to protect Sif from the creatures of the Abyss after being defeated by Manus. It’s why you see Artorias in his signature fighting stance – as he used to wield the Cleaning Greatshield before that. 

They both have some sort of closely associated canine companion – with Artorias having Sif and Ravus having Pryna and Umbra (to a degree). 

Both ultimately succumb to the darkness/abyss at some point, and yet both were still recognized as heroes after their death. Artorias was killed by the Chosen Undead after becoming fully corrupted, but he was still honored as a hero by most – enough to allow the Abyss Watchers to use him as their inspiration of sorts. Meanwhile after Ravus’s death, Noctis and the others found themselves with a great deal of respect for Ravus – especially when knowing he was attempting to help Noctis and the others before he was ultimately killed. 

In general, I think Artorias’s lore in Dark Souls is fantastic. And when you compare Ravus to it, it’s rather interesting to see overall. So yes! I can’t help but nod with that comment and go ‘Yeah... That sounds aight.’ -u- 

There have been a lot of ' Final Fantasy XV Analysis ' posts on my Twitter Feed lately ( bless the community for keeping the love and adoration for this game alive, even despite all the undeserved hate ), and I'm learning things I never knew about the game.

Just saw one post about Ignis' AI. Now, I knew he was configured to kind of . . . linger around Noctis, which makes complete sense considering his life purpose as Noctis' right hand/Advisor and co-protector alongside Gladio. But what makes it 10 times more interesting is that he's literally configured to immediately attack any monster that's attacking Noctis. Even if there's a monster attacking IGNIS, Noctis is always priority, and Ignis WILL turn his back to that monster and focus on whatever is attempting to take Noctis down instead. He literally does not hesitate to put his own life in danger FOR his king.

In the heat of battle mid-game, it's difficult to notice these things, but it really puts into perspective exactly HOW far Ignis and Gladio go to keep Noctis safe, to the point they could be SURROUNDED by enemies, and still risk a bullet or blade to the backside just to make it back to Noctis' side. I love these little tidbits of information we're getting even now, after the game has been out for a long, long time.

The post in question / credit: Click here!

Shuffle your favorite playlist and post the first five songs that come up. Then copy/paste this ask to your favorite mutuals. 💌💜

ohohooo a little treat for meeee ~ using my general 'liked songs' list since it's so long and varied

We Have It All - Pim Stones 🌸 this song is a huuuuuge part of my playlist because it really sums up my novel vibe so perfectly in a song

Crushed - Apollo 🌸 aww this makes me miss doing my Not Me playlist analysis, this is one of my fav instrumental vibes from the Not Me track list

The Pretender - Foo Fighters 🌸 well, i'm nothing if not a grunge/alt rock loving millenial, it's what my mother raised me with and i won't abandon my roots

Insatiable - Masayoshi Shoken 🌸 i heard this song so, so much grinding through shadowbringers to get caught up before endwalker dropped but i never, ever got sick of it. (yes i play final fantasy xiv, AST main on aether/cactuar bbyyy)

Altissia Under Siege - Yasunori Mitsuda 🌸 spotify is really calling out my gamer roots tonight. all of the music throughout all of final fantasy xv and it's DLC is incredible but this one is just an absolute masterpiece, nothing could have paid a better homage to the character of ignis than this.

Welcome to the 472nd version of Android Apps Weekly. Listed here are the large headlines from the final week: Samsung’s Digicam Help acquired an replace this week. It’s additionally obtainable for extra Samsung units. Digicam Help is a Good Lock function, and it provides you extra choices for picture post-processing than its predecessor. One such function is the choice to vary how softening works. The replace is out there now for choose Samsung telephones. Microsoft introduced official Xbox assist on Google Residence. The assist enables you to management the console from the Google Residence app and even provides you contact controls for navigation and media controls. These with the February replace on their Xbox consoles can use the function now. Google Images had a little bit of a difficulty this week. It fully broke on iOS units. The problem prompted crashes on model 16.3.1. Google rushed one other replace that fastened the problem, so it’s all good for now. It wasn’t the largest deal and solely lasted for a day or two, nevertheless it was massive information this week. We requested our readers if they might contemplate switching to Bing. Because it seems, loads of our readers mentioned they might swap to Bing below sure situations. Roughly one-third of our viewers says they might swap to check out the ChatGPT integration, and one other 23% mentioned they might anyway. That’s over 50% of our readership, which is greater than we anticipated. Hit the hyperlink to see the total knowledge. Phrase across the water cooler is that Google staff are sad with Bard and Sundar Pichai. The reasoning is that Bard was rushed to market, and that’s why it didn’t carry out very nicely. In addition they blame Pichai for the frenzy, which prompted every kind of unfavorable press. It’s the most recent rub within the Google Bard controversy, and we suspect there might be extra. White Out Survival Value: Free to playWhite Out Survival is a survival-strategy recreation the place you need to rebuild after a world apocalypse. In contrast to most, this one has a glacial apocalypse theme. Gamers construct their city round a furnace that gives your entire city with sufficient warmth to outlive. You assign jobs to the assorted employees to maintain the furnace and the city up and working. The technique a part of the sport has you coaching troops and seizing sources. It’s not a foul time waster and a barely totally different tackle the dominion builder style. Crypto Analogy Value: Free / $0.99 monthly / $6.79 per 12 monthsCrypto Analogy is a cryptocurrency analysis app. It enables you to evaluate any two cryptocurrencies to see what the trade charge could be. The app additionally features a crypto value tracker, a glossary to study extra, and extra coin stats. It undoubtedly feels beginner-friendly, however there are different apps on the Play Retailer that present related info. We like that this one is clear and that the data seems to be correct to us. There's a subscription that unlocks the entire options. Nevertheless, the free model continues to be a lot usable, and it provides you an opportunity to essentially attempt issues out earlier than committing to any fee. Closing Fantasy XV: Struggle for Eos Value: Free to play Closing Fantasy XV: Struggle for Eos is one in all two Sq. Enix releases this week. This one is a kingdom-builder the place you, nicely, construct up a kingdom. By way of mechanics, it’s nothing you haven’t seen earlier than. Every part simply has a pleasant Closing Fantasy XV pores and skin laid over high. That mentioned, in a style that is filled with moderately good choices, this one might do higher. We additionally suppose the microtransactions are just a little aggressive for our tastes. It has the potential to be fairly good, however Sq. Enix undoubtedly wants one other few coats of polish on this one. Noterly is a minimal-style note-taking app. The UI may be very easy however successfully exhibits you your numerous notes.

You are able to do the same old stuff like listing notes for the needs of a to-do listing or a grocery retailer listing. It's also possible to add issues like reminders with a repeat operate if wanted. This one encourages the person to work together principally by notifications so that you spend as little time within the app as wanted. It’s a pleasant mix of note-taking and to-do lists, and we expect this might slot in both style. Tomb Raider Reloaded Value: Free to play Tomb Raider Reloaded is the second Sq. Enix property with a launch this week. This one is developed by CDE Leisure. It’s a top-down motion recreation the place you roam round ruins with Lara Croft. The sport has some roguelite mechanics, and also you’ll earn new skills and gold as you play. Motion is one-handed, and Lara fires on her personal, so it’s a reasonably gentle gaming expertise. It’s not dangerous, nevertheless it might undoubtedly be just a little higher. Plus, late recreation development is a bit sluggish, in order that’s one thing to remember as nicely. If we missed any massive Android apps or video games releases, inform us about it within the feedback.Thanks for studying. Strive these out too: Feedback #Android #apps #shouldnt #week #Android #Apps #Weekly :This week's Android Apps Weekly brings information of updates to Samsung's Digicam Help, Xbox assist for Google Residence, a difficulty with Google Images on iOS, and the outcomes of our readers' survey on Bing. We additionally assessment White Out Survival, Crypto Analogy, Closing Fantasy XV: Struggle for Eos, Noterly, and Tomb Raider Reloaded. Q1: What are the options of Samsung's Digicam Help? A1: Samsung's Digicam Help options embrace the choice to vary how softening works, extra choices for picture post-processing than its predecessor, and extra. Q2: What's the objective of the Google Residence app? A2: The Google Residence app permits customers to manage their Xbox console from the app and supplies contact controls for navigation and media controls. Q3: What's Noterly? A3: Noterly is a minimal-style note-taking app that enables customers to create lists and reminders, and work together with the app principally by notifications.

Okokokokok, I think I've waited long enough to talk about it, but here I am, talking about Ravus and Noctis. Yep, here I go. Despite the game portraying as adversaries, which they are, in all honesty, there are actually a lot of hints to them being possibly close when they were young.

Sorry, I just wanna yell about my brotp and point out some of the interesting things they did which kind of made me think, ‘maybe they weren’t just childhood acquaintances.’

First Name Basis:

During Episode Ignis, and I've made a joke about this before, all Ravus calls Ignis is ‘boy.’ and actually never says his name. With Gladio, it’s much the same, as he only sneers his title before launching him into a car. But with Noctis, we have them both saying the others name, even with Ravus remarking that it’s been a long while. Something that I think is an interesting thing to note, as it seems to imply that they’ve interacted more than a brief meeting. Noctis’ response of Ravus is just as interesting to me, it’s kind of wary and unsure, it’s likely Luna’s told him of her brother’s downward spiral and while he is aware of that, he also sounds like he’s wondering if this won’t end in conflict. Especially with the facial expressions...but that’s up next!

Another thing, also coming from Episode Ignis, is that end scene where Ravus begrudgingly replies, “And you as well...Noctis.” there's respect in his tone now, yes. But it also sounds a bit like one of those begrudging make-up’s that siblings do. Also, since there isn’t too much to cover here, it’s interesting to note that when talking about his calling, he smiles up at the sky, before looking at Noctis, smilie seemingly still in place.

Yee, here it is, Facial Expressions:

Like I mentioned before, Noctis’ facial expressions when Ravus walks in are actually pretty interesting, as they look more confused than not:

And even kinda melancholic at one part.

Bonus:

Now, if I cluttered this thing with pics, it’s mostly likely to not be very coherent, but during Zegnatus when you stumble across Ravus’ body, 

Noctis looks as if he’s trying not to cry. And I severely doubt he’d do it for any person, especially not his enemy. With Jared, he got a little depressed, and that was an old family friend. But with Ravus, we have this attempt to hold back tears, or so it seems. I’ll get into this scene more with the body language section!

Which will be riiiiiiiight below!

Body Language:

Notice how most of these are about Noct? Well, aside from being ‘Main Character-sama’ he also is the most expressive of the two. Not to say that Ravus isn’t expressive. But Noctis is clearly the one who holds less feelings of animosity in this relationship, and if anything he still remembers the times they spent together without a bitter light. 

MOVING ON FROM THAT.

As for Noctis, in the scene I spoke of above, it actually takes him a long while for him to turn away from Ravus, it’s like he’s frozen to the spot and is just staring down at him. At a few points, he looks away before looking back again. And the pause that holds after you receive the Sword Of The Father, he’s clearly shaken/torn up about this death. 

A little-r thing, is during the first encounter, when Ravus and Ardyn leave, Noctis let’s Iggy do the talking, but he gives this small little nod, keeping his eyes down and actually looking a bit sad? Is this because of the way Ravus treated him? Or was it because he felt like Ravus was disregarding Luna/being a dick to his friends? Something else to comment is that Noctis immediately gets defensive when his friends start making jibes and talking about Ravus, and basically refuses to comment.

Indirect Interactions:

HERE’S WHERE IT GETS INTERESTING FAM. IT’S RAVUS TIME.

At the end of Episode Ignis, like I pointed out before, was the fact that Ravus begrudgingly but willingly forgave Noctis. Not only that, in the Alternate Verse, he gets them to Niflheim right away, without hesitation, without hostility. Which might be because time is of the essence, WHICH BY THE WAY HOW DID HE KNOW WHERE ARDYN TOOK IGNIS?? MysillyOraclepowers/Versustheorybangsbackintoexistence

But probably more telling, is the way Ravus spoke of Noctis to Iedolas, deferring to him as the true king and being sound and assured that Noctis would bring the Light. 

But then, the Ardyn!Noct scene plays, where Ravus speaks to Noctis with a strange familiarity, showing relief he has come and admitting he was wrong in some sort of indirect way, even showing loyalty by calling him ‘His King’

Conclusion thing? As well as some headcannons?

I think it’s quite possible that Ravus and Noctis were close as children, being likely that Ravus would try and show Noctis some sword tricks, and perhaps even teach him how to fish! After all, it’s never outright stated, although I could be wrong. And if Noctis spent those days in Tenebrae fishing with Ravus and Luna, of course he would want to keep doing it in order to keep the memory. And perhaps even aim to out fish Ravus one day.

One thing that needs to be remembered is that Ravus was called a “Kind and welcoming” child, so of course when there’s a younger prince, he’s going to understand some of the frustrations and pressure, so he’s likely to be more involved than not with Noctis.

And when Tenebrae goes up in flames and that heart is twisted, his view of Noctis is going to be shadowed, but Noctis is going to continue to remember the kind natured boy who helped him during those weeks. Which quite possibly explains why Noctis appears so conflicted when Ravus is on screen.

I hope this somewhat makes sense??

the boys and their royal arms

I’ve rambled about this a little bit before on twitter, but I decided to finally sit down and get these thoughts out about noct, his boys, and the royal arms they use!

tldr, the royal arms prompto, gladio, and ignis use during the armiger chain (in addition to the talismans they can get and the boons the kings’ sigils represent in comrades) illustrate key aspects of their characters. 

Introduction

Throughout Final Fantasy XV, Noctis and his retinue search for the Royal Arms, the weapons of the Kings of Yore. They're representative of Noct's birthright and his destiny as the True King. He and his companions, Prompto, Gladio, and Ignis, search for the weapons all over the world. As he adds them to his Armiger, not only does Noctis use the Royal Arms, but the boys wield them as well -- notably, in the Armiger Chain combination attack. Accumulating more of the glaives makes the chain last longer, and all four boys use every weapon in the collection together.

Beyond the battle mechanic, the Royal Arms each of them use carry a strong thematic element. Each glaive illustrates something about each young man -- their characters, their strengths, their weaknesses, their character arcs. This idea extends beyond just the Arms to the Kings themselves, present in their sigils in the Comrades expansion as well as the unique equippable talismans each boy receives.* These themes perfectly illustrate just how connected Prompto, Gladio, and Ignis are to Noctis -- they are fundamentally linked, inexorably bound together.

* (These are only present in the Royal Pack/Royal Edition. They are found in Insomnia in Chapter 14, either after completing all the Kingsglaive quests for Cor. I think. I don't remember... shhsdugif)

Prompto

"My whole life, all I ever wanted was friends... but no one ever wanted me back. So when I finally found people who did want me, I did everything I could to make them stay. And ever since then, I've lived my life in fear -- that one day, they'd find out who I really was, and they wouldn't want me anymore."

Prompto struggles greatly with self-doubt and rejection. He knows he's an outsider and feels that outsiderness to his core, even as a child. But in the face of that, he strives to play the mood maker -- he tries to hold the party together, keep the air light, and make people happy. He attempts to remain outgoing and cheerful, even when he's not, or nobody else is. Noctis and the others love him dearly, regardless of his origins, because he is who he is -- sweet, caring, talented, heartful, thoughtful Prompto. While he at once represents rejection and outsiderness, he also stands for unity and togetherness, and these elements are present in his connection to the Kings.

Prompto receives the talisman of the Clever. The talismans accentuate the boy's unique abilities, and Prompto's grants him increased critical hit rate and unlimited ammo for the SMG. Prompto's gunplay is incredible -- acrobatic, precise, and powerful. It's a far cry from how Prompto tends to feel about himself; he is skilled and capable, even if he doesn't believe he is. The Clever is the perfect mantle for him to carry to represent this.

Though Prompto doesn't use the Bow of the Clever in battle, the Clever fits him very well. The Clever is said to have been a king "versed in myriad arts both martial and intellectual." The Clever's weapon easily fits Prompto, but during the Armiger Chain, it's Noctis who uses it -- while Prompto wields the Sword of the Wise, which carries its own significance. 

Noct uses the Bow of the Clever, it fits Prompto as a weapon: it's the only glaive that's projectile, aside from the Star of the Rogue, which Prompto also uses. It fires spectral arrows to skewer foes all across the battlefield. In addition, in the Comrades expansion, the Clever's sigil allows the bearer to summon spectral arms at will. It replaces the use of spells to summon eight special armaments to wield at once. It's a form of battle very appropriate to Prompto, isn't it? 

The Clever is said to have been talented in many varied ways. The same could definitely be said of Prompto, whether he believes it or not. While a commoner, he keeps up with his royal companions in battle. When he knocks enemies off guard, he can deliver devastating blows to rival even magic. He can take photos in battle effortlessly -- something his companions love, except when Noct is being gnawed on by a daemon. But while Prompto sees himself as incapable, a burden to his team, he's well able to keep up with them, and strives to hold the group together. The mantle of the Clever fits him so well in this aspect.

But while Noct uses the Bow during the Chain, Prompto uses the Sword of the Wise. The Wise is the King who first erected the Wall and established the borders of the kingdom of Lucis. He was a notably mighty figure and protected the realm. His blade represents the foundation of the Kingdom, and Noct's birthright -- and while Noct uses the weapon that most fits Prompto, Prompto in turn uses the Sword of the Wise, a clear symbol of Noct's royal blood. He is more than capable and deserving to wield it, even briefly, despite how Prompto feels about himself.

Prompto also uses the Star of the Rogue. The Rogue was a figure reviled by the people. She "spurned the public eye and took to the shadows." It's a huge shuriken, and Prompto actually briefly wields it against the daemonified Rogue in the Citadel battle. The Rogue is a figure of royal power but rejection -- intensely shunned by the people, choosing to rule away from their eyes. She wears a mask in her armor; it doesn't appear to be a helmet or battle regalia, but rather a means of hiding her face, obscuring herself further. 

The queen is a figure of stealth and prowess, but will never quite belong to the public, to her people. Only when she is gone is she remembered fondly by history. Prompto definitely feels he doesn't belong, and likely that he never will. He's a lonely child from a lonely home. He knows he's from the enemy nation, branded by them. For years, he doesn't believe he deserves to be Noctis's friend, and pushes himself to be good enough to finally approach him. Even when he's assimilated into Noct's retinue, he feels he doesn't compare to the likes of them, and fears the day they all reject him... even though the idea is completely unthinkable to them.

This idea extends nicely to the third Royal Arm Prompto uses, the Scepter of the Pious. The Pious is described as a king who "ruled the realm according to divine law and worked hand in hand with the Oracle." It's a weapon that strikes with a blade of light. It enhances magic and is particularly strong against dark elements. The Scepter is a weapon to represent unity, togetherness. The King worked with the Oracle -- a nice parallel to Prompto's correspondence with Lunafreya, and how she gave him the courage to befriend Noctis -- to unite Lucis. It's a weapon that represents strength in teamwork, in united people, breaking down the walls that divide them to live as one.

Prompto's use of the Royal Arms illustrate his biggest fears and greatest strengths. He's an outsider, terrified of rejection. But he's a dedicated and loyal friend, devoted to helping them and keeping them happy. Despite the differences that could potentially drive them apart, Prompto is a vital part of Noct's retinue. Despite his wavering confidence, he is talented and incredibly skilled. He's unique and irreplaceable, and his closest friends know that. One day, Prompto will, too, and he and Noct can knock down the barriers between their people once and for all.

"I owe Noct everything, for standing by me always. And now... it’s my turn to stand by him.”

Gladio

"I swore a vow to do whatever it takes to protect you and the future of our world."

So, let's get this out of the way: Gladio suffers from a tragic lack of character development. While this can be another sad side effect of XV's troubled development **, we can attempt to spin it into something subtle and quiet, illustrating Gladio's softer side. His connection to the Royal Arms shows that not only does he want to be strong, he wants to protect those he cares about above all else. Gladio is ultimately very caring and deeply, truly loyal, even though he's as hard and heavy as blade steel sometimes.

** (Rumor has it, Clarus, Gladio's father, was going to betray the Crown, and Gladio would face deep inner conflict over it, having to choose between his father's ideals and Noctis's journey. Apparently the role was given instead to Drautos/Glauca in Kingsglaive, who has a much more prominent presence in the movie than Clarus. None of this is confirmed, though, and isn't present in any released canon materials... so who knows. It's worth mentioning because it speaks to maybe their taking out Gladio's planned character arc and forgetting to put anything back in its place...here’s the reddit post that compiles the theories pretty well, if you’re curious.)  

Gladio receives the Tall's talisman. When it's equipped, it accelerates the rate at which Gladio's valor gauge increases. His valor, in battle, best increases from uninterrupted combos and counterattacks, both appropriate given his nature as Shield, well-trained for battle but focused on defense. It's a simple boon that's incredibly valuable in battle, and battle is an inescapable aspect of Gladio's life. Along with the talisman, Gladio wields the Sword of the Tall. It's a broadsword, Gladio's preferred type of weapon. The Tall is said to have been "built like a mountain, towering over all others." It's a peculiar kind of sword with a chainsaw-like blade, which rips and tears mercilessly through enemies. For its incredible strength and vitality boost, it lowers elemental and magic defenses. This is matched by the Tall's sigil in the Comrades expansion, which greatly increases attack power at the cost of casting spells. The Tall's is a mantle of muscle, not mettle, but it's not the only King's presence Gladio carries.

Gladio also wields the Shield of the Just. His secondary preferred weapon is a shield, obviously focused on defense and counters. The Just is a queen of yore -- she and the Rogue are the only queens of Lucis present ingame. She is not given a name, but her armor has a massive silhouette, her presence immense. The Shield of the Just, as expected, offers Noctis huge defense. It greatly decreases attack to grant significant defenses, both physical and elemental. Its description describes the Just as a queen devoted to peace who was loved by all. Though her phantom visage is imposing, the Just is a strong, steadfast figure of peace, not violence. It's a strong contrast to the Sword of the Tall; if the Tall's is his blade, the Just's is his shield.

The Axe of the Conqueror is the third Royal Arm Gladio uses. While the Tall and the Just represent Gladio's strength and will to protect, the Conqueror represents willpower and moving forward. The Axe describes the Conqueror as a king who "performed great feats of arms, expanded his realm, and made his people prosper." This is all too appropriate for Gladio's role in Noctis's retinue, not just as his protector but his guide. When Noct can't move forward, Gladio pushes him. When he can't think, Gladio thinks for him. When things get difficult, Gladio helps Noctis grow and move on, whether he wants to or not. Gladio is a big brother, after all, and he wants only the best for those he cares about and wants them to succeed, just as the Conqueror did.

Gladio's use of the Royal Arms illustrates his boundless strength both in offense and defense. He carries a broadsword and shield and the needs of his companions. Gladio pushes forward. He is fiercely loyal and cares deeply for those around him, and pushes forward without hesitation, bringing those he must protect with him. Gladio wants to be strong, not only for the sake of power, but for the power to protect the ones he cares about. He cherishes the things he holds dear, and will protect them with all his being.

"You're right, I am afraid. ... Maybe I'm not really cut out for the job I'm expected to do. ... I may be all muscle and no mettle, but I'm gonna keep protecting Noct the only way I know how."

Ignis

"This world means nothing to me. Do with it as you wish. ... But I refuse to let Noct sacrifice his life to save ours. I won't let you take him away."

Ignis has served the Crown for nearly all his life. He's been Noct's companion the whole while -- his friend and brother, as designated by King Regis himself. Since he was a child, he's carried royal responsibility. He's composed, precise, and calculating, well-versed in all kinds of matters, political and not. He's a strategist, a royal advisor, and he keeps at Noct's side without hesitation. While he maintains a very cool, thoughtful demeanor, confronting problems with plans and logic, he has a relentless, reckless side. He is willing to resort to violence should the plan call for it, especially if the safety of Noctis and his companions is at stake. Ignis has a very smooth, calm surface with a deep, deep underlying intensity that rarely shows.

Ignis receives the Wanderer's talisman in the fallen Insomnia. When it's equipped, it boosts Ignis's Total Clarity gauge, heightening his senses and deepening his focus. In battle, Ignis uses strategic elemancy -- imbuing his daggers with fire, ice, and lightning -- and counterattacks. He doesn't utilize raw strength; instead, his battle prowess uses his strategic mind. Reaching Total Clarity allows him to unleash a particularly decisive blow. He is a fast, strategic, relentless attacker, perfectly carrying the mantle of the Wanderer. In addition, the Wanderer's sigil in Comrades carries an entirely supportive effect -- it casts Cheer on the party, heightening their abilities. It fits Ignis's penchant for strategy, supporting his comrades and planning instead of rushing into battle and relying on raw strength.

The Wanderer is said to have been "quick like the wind and went where no man had gone before." His swords "rain fury -- together they deliver thundering blows." The Swords of the Wanderer have three distinct forms, interlinked and not, to adjust to the needs of battle. The Wanderer was clearly a versatile, flexible fighter. He roamed the unknown and pressed on into strange territory without fear. "Wandering" implies a lack of a destination, focusing not on the end of the journey but shoving onward regardless.

It's too fitting that Regis tells a young Ignis something he will never forget: "One cannot lead by standing still. A King pushes onward always, accepting the consequences and never looking back."

When Ignis is blinded by his sacrifice and Noct disappears into the Crystal, the Wanderer mantle fits him even more. The light has disappeared from his world, both literally and metaphorically. He can no longer see -- greatly debilitating his extensive prowess -- and his life's purpose, being at Noctis's side, is left to the lurch. He investigates the royal tombs and the ruins of old civilizations to the best of his ability. He pushes on alone, not to prove anything to his friends but to himself. He refuses to burden anyone, even though the boys would never think that of him. He's left without a destination, without purpose, but pushes onward, always. He finds the ability to fight again, delves deep into the history of Eos, and holds onto the hope that one day Noctis will return. And, soon enough, he does, only for the prophecy to snatch him away once and for all.

Ignis also wields the Katana of the Warrior, which couldn't be more fitting for him, especially given his relationship with Noct. The glaive is even found in Fondina Castino in Cartanica, the boys' first stop after the catastrophe in Altissia. Ignis is blind, hating himself for every stumble, hating how Gladio and Noct fight while Prompto tries to stop them. After the retinue finds the Katana, Ignis finds his resolve and tells his companions he will continue, and if he can't keep up, he will not hinder them. He will gladly fall behind if it means they can push on together. "I would remain with you all," he says, "to the very end."

The Warrior's glaive bears a tragic description: "A king was changed forever when his beloved queen was taken from him prematurely. This was his katana." The weapon strikes swiftly, calculatedly, cutting down foes “in a single heartbeat." It carries magical defense but is especially weak to dark elements. The Warrior's mantle couples well with Ignis's losses throughout the story -- he loses his home, his sight, the light of the world, and his most beloved companion. Even then, he pushes on. He carries his sorrows and pushes onward, regardless, knowing full well the pain of losing everything that matters, and what else there is to lose.

The third Royal Arm Ignis wields is the Mace of the Fierce. The Fierce was said to be "gentle before his people but an ogre on the battlefield," dealing massive, crippling blows with his glaive. This weapon in particular illustrates the side of Ignis he keeps carefully hidden. For all his composure, his careful planning and strategic mind, he can be reckless, ruthless, and violent. When planning to infiltrate an Empire base, for instance, he's not above torturing someone to get information he needs. When he needs to get something done, he will get it done. When it comes to Noct's safety, he will do whatever it takes. He will gladly throw away his own safety, his sight, and his life to save him. This duality is nicely represented by the Fierce's glaive -- nice and composed, but cold and relentless when the situation calls for it.

Beneath his calm, placid surface, Ignis is a blazing fire. He's intensely driven, fiercely loyal, and wholly devoted to Noctis as he has been his whole life. He will throw everything away without question, even himself, if it means saving the ones he cares about. He is thoughtful and strong, careful and precise, but has a tendency to be ruthless, reckless, and destructive -- forgoing his own wellbeing to reach his ends. In the wake of tragedy, he pushes on, holding onto unwavering hope, unyielding devotion, unable to ever let go.

"Even if it costs my own life to save him... I will pay that price!"

All for the True King

The remaining four Royal Arms are used by Noct in the Armiger Chain. They, too, carry significance in his wielding them -- especially in the combination attack, symbolizing the unity of him and those he cares about. Noctis wields the Blade of the Mystic, the Bow of the Clever, the Trident of the Oracle, and the Sword of the Father during the Armiger Chain. The Blade of the Mystic stands for the Founder King. The Bow of the Clever is a weapon especially fit for Prompto, who then wields the Sword of the Wise, one of the fundamental figures of Lucian history. The Trident of the Oracle belongs to Luna, and the Sword of the Father belongs to none other than King Regis.

Noct's use of the Royal arms in the chain complements those his boys use, further symbolizing the unity and togetherness between them and the people -- and the whole world -- they care about. The Kings' stories are present in the Prince's friends, showing just how deeply connected they are to Noctis. There's no doubt Noct loves his boys dearly, and their thematic connections to the Kings and their weapons only illustrate how much they care about each other. They travel together, ride together, and rule together with the blessings of Kings past. Even in the wake of trial and tragedy, they remain inseparable, inexorably bound together, standing tall in the face of the dawn.

tldr AND DARLING DARLINGGGG STANDDDD MY MEEEE

screenshots from ardynizunya on twitter and the final fantasy fan wiki -- please let me know if you need credit for any of these! ;o;/

FF XV - the missing reconciliation post chapter 10

Alright, everyone who has ever played FFXV knows the game’s not perfect. Whether you love it or hate it, the game has some issues you can’t just pretend not to see. I personally adore the game, but that doesn’t mean I wave away its issues. Especially not the glaring ones, like the story-telling, which really could use some work at times, what with all the ‘missing scenes that should be there’, the plot holes and stuff.

One such moment of ‘atrocious story-telling’, as is widely accepted as fact by fans and haters alike, is in the second half of the game: the rather infamous chapter 10 and the chapters that follow. For context reminder, chapter 10 of FFXV’s story is right after the catastrophe that is the covenant with Leviathan in Altissia. It’s the chapter about Cartanica, the chapter where our four main characters (and friends) are at odds with each other, treating each other to stony silences unless they’re arguing, the latter being especially the case of Noctis and Gladio, with Gladio throwing a few quite vicious comments Noctis’s way. With everything that happened right before, the character dynamics in this chapter really hit hard. By the end of the chapter, Ignis has had enough and snaps, telling basically everyone off for being at each other’s throats during a time when they should be more united than ever. And after that… things pretty much go back to normal in the group. Which is all well and good, except for one thing. The arguing, and Gladio’s vicious attitude especially, may come a little out of nowhere, but it’s still understandable if one puts just a little thought into it. Noct is grieving Luna’s death and blaming himself both for the fact she died and likely also Ignis’s blindness, he’s overwhelmed by his emotions which cause him to shut himself off emotionally. Gladio is feeling guilty, too. He is Noctis’s Shield and it is his duty to protect him, with his life if he has to. But he hasn’t been there to protect him after Leviathan was dealt with and Ignis did his job for him, getting severely injured in the process. That shouldn’t have happened. In Gladio’s mind, Noctis either should have been strong enough to not need Ignis to protect him (and making him able to defend himself is Gladio’s job as well, since he’s been training Noct since he was a kid), or Gladio should have been there to protect him instead of Ignis. But he wasn’t. He had failed as a Shield and he’s reminded of that fact and the guilt that comes with it every time he looks at Ignis or Noct. And Gladio had always covered up his negative emotions, guilt included, with anger. So he lashes out. It comes a bit out of nowhere and takes some thought to understand, but it’s not something that can’t be figured out.

The sudden shift back from the end of chapter 10 to chapter 11, however, is less acceptable and as far as I know, everyone was saying how the reconciliation was poorly handled and there should have been at least a short scene where Gladio apologizes to Noct, if nothing else. A scene where they talk it out, where the argument actually gets closure and we can believe the characters move on. We don’t get any of that, though, and it’s apparently a ‘narrative nightmare’, which is likely the main reason there are so many ‘missing scene’ fanfics out there that attempt to rectify it, to write a fitting scene that could actually connect the character’s attitudes from the end of chapter 10 to chapters 11-13. And honestly, for the longest time, I agreed with that assessment, because there really should be a proper reconciliation scene.

Unless there shouldn’t be. Unless it’s not a ‘narrative issue’ this time, but something that has been done on purpose. Because what if… Please consider, what if Noctis and his crew didn’t actually properly make up before the end of chapter 13 and Noct’s ten-year-long absence?

Hear me out.

I) “Guys Don’t Talk About Feelings”

Fair point, and it does stand to reason considering what we see in the game. Noctis is the kind to clam up and he doesn’t talk easily, Gladio and Ignis pretend they don’t feel much of anything (except anger in Gladio’s case) and Prompto hides everything behind his happy-go-lucky joker mask. So yeah, a valid assumption to make. Except that it’s not true, because there are instances where the boys talk about feelings and Noct in particular is willing to have these kinds of conversations, even if he doesn’t always (or ever) initiate them. Proof in the game itself include:

- the talk with Prompto when you sleep at a motel and he ends up opening up about his insecurities. Sure, you can have Noct answer in an absolutely dickish manner and conform to the stereotype, but the game rewards you for having Noct listen to his friend, take him seriously and reassure him, which in all honesty sounds a lot more like Noct to me anyway. Sure, the guy can be a bit standoffish at times, particularly in the anime, but there’s no denying he cares and he’d never be a dick to his friends on purpose.

- post-credit scene of Episode Ignis, where Ignis is the one to open up a little (he opens the conversation with a broken ‘we have lost so much’, you can’t tell me the entire exchange isn’t driven by emotion even if part of it is Ignis testing Noct’s resolve) and offers Noctis to abandon their journey. Noctis refuses.

- post-credit scene of Episode Prompto, when Noctis properly apologizes to Prompto over what happened on the train and reconciles with him before they talk about ‘uniting all of Eos’ so no one has to suffer like Prompto has simply because they happened to be born in a different country.

So no, the boys do talk about feelings. Maybe not often and maybe not always as extensively as some would prefer, but they do talk about it when it really matters. Most of the time.

II) Chapter 11 Loading Screen

As FFXV is wont to do, instead of showing us stuff to connect chapters of the story together, we get loading screens with a short text, so more of a ‘tell not show’ approach. Which is a shame, but in this particular instance, it works to my advantage as far as analyzing stuff goes. Here’s the loading screen in question:

This is a peculiar word choice, isn’t it? ‘Ignis’s resolve forces a reconciliation’. Correct me if I’m wrong, but you can’t actually force a reconciliation. It doesn’t work that way. You can force two people to stop arguing all the time, maybe, but you can’t force them to see eye-to-eye, you can’t force them to apologize and mean it, you can’t force them to make up. Ignis’s words and resolve could and definitely did force Noctis and Gladio to see how stupid they were being, how they shouldn’t be divided at this point in time… but it can’t force them to forgive and forget. Especially if you consider Gladio’s reactions.

After Ignis’s outburst, he’s still angry. He doesn’t outwardly agree with allowing Ignis to come along, but he also doesn’t bite back at his words how it’s not up to Gladio to decide when Noctis will take up the mantle as king properly. He shuts his mouth and storms off. And that the last interaction we get before the ‘normalcy’ at the beginning of chapter 11, before Gladio and Ignis go off.

At this point in time, I’m pretty sure Gladio hasn’t actually apologized. Hell, I’m persuaded he doesn’t actually think he was out of line that much. Nothing that Ignis said would have made him realize just how much of an ass he’s been. Ignis told him off for pushing Noct for something he’s not ready for and reminded him it’s not up to Gladio to decide when he will be, whether they have the time to wait for him to be ready or not. Gladio doesn’t agree with that precisely because they don’t have the time and Noct has to act like the king he’s supposed to be. Still, Ignis’s words do make him realize the way he’s been pushing is (at least in part) the reason for the growing rift between the four of them and he agrees they can’t afford in-fighting, so he backs off. A little. He’s still a bit confrontational when they go back to the train, but doesn’t lash out quite as badly anymore. I mean, look at his response when Noct actually asks if they can make a stop in Tenebrae (for the first time actually mentioning wanting to, as far as we’re aware). Gladio’s answer is a flat ‘as long as it helps him move on.’ It’s not understanding, it’s not supporting, it’s more ‘fine, if it gets your ass in gear, we can do it’, but said in a less dickish manner. He doesn’t agree to the stop in Tenebrae because he cares for Noct’s feelings, he agrees as a means to an end – Ignis won’t get on his case again and Noctis will (hopefully) ‘pull his head out of his ass’. In short, Gladio is less confrontational, but his mindset clearly hasn’t changed much if at all. He doesn’t act like he thinks he should apologize, either, so it would be no stretch to assume that he simply doesn’t. He acts like his earlier attitude never happened instead and Noctis follows his lead on it. (Or maybe Noctis is the one who starts and Gladio follows his lead, both are likely.) In fact, the first (and only) moment where it might seem like Gladio actually realizes he may have gone too far only happens in chapter 13 Verse 2, when they find the recording of how Ravus died. Gladio remarks that Ravus ‘even called Noctis “his king”’, then lowers his head and stares at the ground for a bit. Don’t know about you, but the posture he adopts looks kind of ashamed to me. Which makes sense, because this is Ravus. The guy who has been going on and on about how Noctis is undeserving of his title as Chosen King, or the Ring, or his father’s glaive or Luna’s help, and he openly admits Noctis is ‘his king’, the Chosen King. He sees a king where Gladio hasn’t and I think that really resonated with him and made him realize just how overboard he’s gone. Because how can it be that a man who used to think Noct unworthy of his title as Chosen sees him as the King he is before even his Shield does? Gladio is supposed to be one of Noct’s closest confidants, the one he trusts most, the one to keep him upright when he can’t stand up, the one to focus when Noct can’t etc. etc. Being a Shield is a difficult duty, but it also means being extremely close to the King, it means he should know him well enough to see things others don’t, he should always be supporting and protecting him. And yet Ravus, of all people, saw what Gladio had failed to see in that instance: that Noct already is king and he is acting the part to the best of his abilities. Ravus believed in Noctis more than his own Shield did. And it’s in that instant, I think, that Gladio truly realized he’s crossed a line (or several lines) and that while he might have had a point in there somewhere, he went the entirely wrong way about making it. In that singular instant, he feels a brief moment of shame and actually realizes he might need to apologize at some point, I think. But they’re in Zegnautus Keep, in the middle of enemy territory and Noctis isn’t even with them, so a heart-to-heart obviously will have to wait for a better time.

Furthermore, there’s the bit how through ‘forcing a reconciliation’, Ignis’s resolve ‘restores harmony to the group’. Another curious choice of words there. If they had really made up properly, couldn’t it be ‘restores the bonds between the four friends’ or something like that? Something more telling that things are actually ok again, that they’ve made up and everything is well? Instead it’s just ‘restores harmony’, which doesn’t really mean much beyond ‘gets rid of the discord’, meaning Noctis and Gladio simply stop fighting. But it doesn’t mean they’ve actually made up, that they’re back to how they’ve been before Altissia. They aren’t. But for the sake of ‘harmony’, they act like they do. After all, ‘a king moves ever forward’ and his Shield is supposed to be by his side, come Hell or high water, right?

III) Game-Play-Story-Integration

Out of all the games I’ve played, Final Fantasy XV is still the one with the best and most extensive game-play-story-integration I’ve ever seen. From the fighting system to the quips between the bros to how the AI acts in combat in certain parts of the story, the attention to detail is unreal. It is especially noticeable in chapter 10, not only because of how Ignis always stays behind for obvious reasons, but also how Prompto never strays from his side or the way Gladio only goes half-way after Noct if the player goes on ahead (though not without bitching about ‘staying together’). It’s also visible in combat.

So… let’s look a bit at the game-play of chapters 11, 12 and 13, when the boys have supposedly been forced to make up, shall we?

Chapter 11 – we get a short cut-scene with Ignis and Gladio where they talk about gathering some information about the going-ons in Tenebrae and Gralea. Noctis is attentive, but still rather subdued. Gladio acts mostly like his normal, confident self. No discord in sight… but also no true unity if you ask me. Ignis and Gladio leave soon after. Noctis doesn’t try to stop them or follow them and neither of them attempt to make him. In fact, no one comments on his lackluster attitude at all and while that’s better than the fighting from before, it doesn’t actually look like a group of three friends, more just three men working together because they’re supposed to. Ignis may just be trying to give Noctis time to grieve properly, it’s what he’s been doing for the entirety of chapter 10 as well all while dealing with his own problems, but Gladio just simply pretends he doesn’t see it. He doesn’t give an indication it bothers him in any way, not in terms of making him angry or worried or anything. He just pretends not to see and lets it roll off his back.

And that’s it for Ignis and Gladio. We don’t see either of them for the rest of the chapter. We don’t see much of Prompto, either, because Ardyn decides to switch places with him. We get one little fight together with fake!Prompto but other than that, throughout the chapter and the fighting on the train, Noctis is alone.

Chapter 12 – it doesn’t actually get better. The chapter starts in Tenebrae station, which counts as an outpost and thus a safe place. You can opt to just follow the other characters and advance the story by talking with everyone you need to talk to, but you can also explore the station first to gather some items and, in the Royal Edition, to gather almanac entries. Now, in any other outpost or city in the game, while there might have been short moments where Ignis, Gladio and Prompto wandered off and behaved a bit like curious NPCs, they always followed Noct once he got a certain distance away. For the entirety of the game up until Altissia, you hardly had any moment when they didn’t follow Noct unless it was story-dictated that they didn’t. That’s not the case in Tenebrae. There’s no real reason for them to remain ‘in NPC mode’ if you decide to explore the station, but they do. They don’t follow Noctis at all. Once again, he’s alone and he remains that way even once they’re on board the train even though Ignis and Gladio are technically still part of the party (you can see their HP bars and stuff).

Once again, much like with fake!Prompto in the previous chapter, we get a fight where the three men fight together. But once it’s over? Gladio calls Noctis to ‘come and see something’, then doesn’t wait for him to follow. The next thing we know, Noct is encountering Ardyn and Shiva and once again, he is alone. At any other point in the game, no matter what was happening, Ignis and Gladio did everything they could to stand by his side – figuratively as much as literally by being physically there. But in this chapter, they don’t. Even post Shiva, when Noctis tells them to go check on the front of the train, they both do without complaint. Noctis is on his knees, half-frozen like they are and he very clearly still looks out of it, but neither of them protests being send away despite the fact that Gladio could have checked on the drivers alone and Ignis could remain with Noct without issue to make sure he’s alright (or so they could both make sure the other is alright). But that’s not what happens.

After Shiva, we get another short cut-scene as the train reaches Gralea and demons pop up while Noctis and co. realize they’re weaponless. Noctis is so shell-shocked by that discovery that he almost takes a Goblin’s claws to the chest, but Gladio pulls him back and kicks the demon away. He protects Noctis. He does his job as a Shield. Noct’s reaction? A split second of relief before he tries for a grin and briefly compliments Gladio’s blow, visibly trying to loosen up, to act normal. That split second of relief is really telling, though, because it implies he might not have expected for Gladio to act. He might have worried he wouldn’t help him. Which he has reason for as apparently, in chapter 10, if Noct happens to be caught by an enemy (you know, that button-mashing moment to get free), Gladio’s AI apparently doesn’t even try to help. I say apparently because I didn’t get the chance to test it on my new play-through, I was on NG+ and over-leveled to Hell, so the characters could one-shot-kill everything long before one stray enemy could grab on to Noct for me to test that. But assuming this little bit of game-play-story-integration is true, it would make sense considering Gladio’s general attitude in chapter 10. Still, we’re talking about chapter 12 now, where the boys have supposedly reconciled, so… why would Noct worry about whether or not Gladio would help him if he needed it? Why would he be relieved when Gladio simply did his job? If they’ve actually made up, then he has no reason to worry or be surprised and relieved about it, right?

Chapter 13 – I don’t think I need to say much about that one. Zegautus Keep. Noctis is separated from his friends for most of it and is once again alone. Nothing more needs to be said on that front. Except maybe one thing. There are two points in the chapter where Noctis has to leave his friends behind. One in the hangar towards the end, when he’s about to reach the Crystal. He hesitates then, looks back once he’s gotten through the closing door, but moves on. The other is way at the beginning of the chapter, when Noct gets separated from Ignis and Gladio by the collapsing train. Not only does he not hesitate to run and leave them behind then (understandable, as he’s surrounded by daemons and unarmed), but he also doesn’t wait for them once he’s in the Keep. That first room he’s in is huge and open and you can see there aren’t that many daemons prowling about. Noctis had locked the door behind him and since the Goblins haven’t broken it down before, there’s no reason they would now. Ignis and Gladio are still out there and Noctis should probably assume they’d try to follow him or find a different way in. So… why does he go on alone? Why doesn’t he wait? Or at least call/text them to see what their plan is so they can agree to try and regroup somehow? In fact, for the entirety of this chapter, why doesn’t Noct try to contact Ignis or Gladio once? His phone still works as far as we know even though he’s no longer in Lucis, chapter 12 proved that when Ignis called him after Noct pushed Prompto off the train. So why don’t they even attempt to communicate when, as far as we know, they have the means to?

I don’t know about you, but for a part of the game where the three of them are supposed to be tight-knit once again and have supposedly made up, the story and game-play goes way out of its way to contradict it by ensuring Noctis is alone at nearly all times, when the normal behavior of all of his friends is to stick close to him at any given time, be it for running around the wilderness, combat or even exploring a safe outpost. And when Noctis’s normal behavior is to try to stick with them, too, and yet in these chapters (and chapter 13 in particular) he goes out of his way to not do that.

IV) Friends And Retainers In One

There’s a very specific part of chapter 13 that really stuck out to me on my latest play-through. Once you reunite with Ignis and Gladio, find Prompto and finally get your weapons back, the boys have their one (ONE!) on-the-field conversation in the entire chapter. Where before Altissia they constantly quipped at each other and you had those short conversations once every couple minutes, this is basically the only piece of dialogue outside of a cut-scene you get this entire chapter (Ardyn’s taunting notwithstanding).

It starts with Prompto pointing out that Noctis is wearing (and using) the Ring of the Lucii. Noctis response is a rather bland ‘I had to. No weapons. No friends. No choice, really’ and goes on to say how he had to find and save the rest of them and for that he had to be able to fight so he had to use the ring. This entire 5-second-explanation is delivered in a low, kinda dead tone, too. There’s barely any inflection to it, let alone any sort of emotion. He just sounds tired and wrung out and completely done with it all. The one who responds is Gladio… with a comment along the lines of ‘you finally sound like a King’ with a ‘took you long enough’ heavily implied if not stated outright. Noctis doesn’t respond to that and neither does anyone else. Once again, it does not sound like an exchange between friends. It sounds more like what a Shield would say to his King.

And that’s exactly what’s going on, isn’t it? What has been going on since chapter 10, actually. In the aftermath of Altissia, Gladio pulled back from everyone, but Noctis in particular. He was no longer his friend, he was his Shield, through and through.

Now, Ignis and Gladio always had some trouble with navigating their relationship with Noct because of its duality between being his retainers and being his friends, something the game touches upon a little (though it’s way better portrayed in the Brotherhood anime). Ignis has more trouble with it, though, because in his case, the line between friend and retainer is extremely blurred and it’s easy to fall from one into another seamlessly and without noticing. From chapter 10 onward, though, while Ignis tried to keep some ‘friend’ aspects to his demeanor, he still acts more like an advisor. This is likely due as much to the fact that he wants to prove to everyone (himself included) that he isn’t a burden and can keep going with them, as it is to Noct needing a little advisory needling to stay on course and not fall back into his apathetic behavior from earlier.

In Gladio’s case, the line is a lot more cut and dry and easy to distinguish. There’s a clear difference between Gladio the Friend and Gladio the Shield. During chapter 10, Gladio is only a Shield. A retainer to his King. Not a friend. Which is part of why he’s so vicious in his comments. During chapters 11-13, he dials it back more and more, but still stays more on the side of ‘Shield’ than ‘Friend’.

The only person who doesn’t have that struggle is Prompto, because while part of the Crownsguard, he’s still Noct’s friend first and foremost. But he’s absent from chapter 11 onwards. So for most of chapters 10-13, Noct is alone. It’s a moment in time when he lost too much too quickly and he desperately needs a friend to help him, but he doesn’t get that. He can’t go to Ignis because he feels like Ignis has enough of his own problems to deal with, he doesn’t want to burden Prompto who’s already very clearly stressed by the situation in general and tries to help where he feels most useful (with Ignis) and he only has an angry Shield in Gladio, not a friend. All that game-play I pointed out earlier where Noctis is suspiciously alone? That’s a show of how he feels as much as the physical situation of it. He is alone when he’s separated from his companions and he feels alone even when they’re there. Because the ones following him now are not his friends, they’re his retainers and he’s not supposed to be Noct the Person, but Noctis the King.

Going back to that little piece of dialogue I mentioned earlier, well, it’s not part of a cut-scene, so we don’t really get much in terms of clues to interpret the characters’ feelings besides the voice acting. There’s no expression and little body language to go by. But the fact that Gladio’s comment is met with silence from Noct is already very telling. To me, it feels like he’s looking for at least a little comfort from them. He’s looking for reassurance from his friends. He’s been alone, unarmed, basically at daemons’ mercy and had no choice but to put on the ring everyone saw he could hardly bring himself to look at, much less wear. I wouldn’t be surprised if the answer he was looking to get then was something as simple as ‘you’re not alone or defenseless now, it’ll be ok, we’re here with you’ or something like that. Instead, what he gets is a comment about how ‘he finally acts like a king’ from the person who has been raving on him for not being ‘kingly’ enough the most before.  And I think that might sort of cement it for him (like it also sort of does for the player): he isn’t surrounded by friends at this moment in time, no matter how desperately he wants and needs it, even if they share some friendly banter in a cut-scene or two before that. He’s surrounded by retainers and he has to be their King, no matter how impossible it seems for him to do that.

And then, of course, the icing on the cake: getting sucked into the Crystal. Noctis is alone at that point as well, barring Ardyn. By the time Gladio and the others catch up, he’s already disappeared.

Here comes the kicker: Gladio, Ignis and Prompto proceed to attack Ardyn and try to kill him… and it’s honestly the first proper show of emotion all three of them have since chapter 11 that actually proves they care for Noct as a person, not just a king. They act like they lost not a king, but a dear friend and they’re understandably angry because of that. Which is heartbreaking because it happens at a point in time when Noctis can’t see it anymore. Just as the three of them were too late to see Noctis get sucked into the Crystal (and maybe try and fail to stop it from happening), they were too late in dropping the façade of retainer and act like Noct’s friends instead. (Again, with the exception of Prompto, because he doesn’t have that issue.)

It’s doubly heartbreaking when you consider Regis’s last order to them, too. ‘I ask not that you guide my wayward son. Merely that you remain at his side.’ Which is really just a fancy way of saying ‘I don’t want you to accompany him as his retainers, I want you to be his friends.’ No one seems to catch on to that, however, and when shit truly hits the fan, they do the exact opposite instead.

V) Reconciliation

Finally, one last point, tying somewhat to point I to finish this entire word vomit off. As we all know, there is no reconciliation scene between the four friends in the game, a fact that has been very bemoaned by fans. That’s just it, though. There’s no reconciliation scene between the four of them or at between Noct and Gladio… but there is one (even two) between Noctis and Prompto! In the main game, once you find Prompto in Zegnautus, he asks Noct if he was worried about him. Noct can respond with a choked up ‘of course I was… what kind of question is that?’ or try to tease and act like all is normal (the second one backfires slightly) but in both cases, it’s followed by an apology, which Prompto accepts and responds to with ‘everything is alright now’. It’s not perfect, but there was an apology, there was forgiveness, there was understanding and closure and actual reconciliation. If that’s not enough for you, Episode Prompto adds the post-credit scene I already mentioned above.

So, we do get a proper reconciliation between Noctis and Prompto. But not between Noctis and Gladio. Or Noctis and Ignis, considering they should have really talked about how Noct feels guilty for Ignis’s injury, too, in my opinion, even if they haven’t really fought or anything. There’s still a kind of rift there. Which means Noct reconciles on-screen with one friend out of three. You really think the developpers would make one scene and then ‘leave out’ or ‘forget’ another? I find that hard to believe.

In conclusion

As many narrative and story-telling issues as FFXV may have, I honestly don’t believe the lack of a proper reconciliation between Noctis and Gladio (or Noctis and Ignis if you think they need one) is one of them. It looks far more like it has been done on purpose, because while they both try to act like they’re good and everything is back to normal, the fact of the matter is that it’s probably not true. They’re still at odds and Gladio only really realizes he might have gone too far in Zegnautus, but at that point, he doesn’t really get a chance to talk with Noct before the latter disappears for ten years into the Crystal. Which would mean the two of them never actually made up between chapter 10 and the end of chapter 13. This fight of theirs remained unresolved until it was too late to do anything about it, something that gives Gladio even more reason to attack Ardyn as savagely as he does in the Crystal’s chamber. Because he can finally admit to himself that maybe he was a bit out of line and he probably wanted to talk it out with Noctis, maybe even wanted to apologize, but in the end, he never got the chance.

Then ten years pass during which Noctis is in Reflection and Gladio gets to live through the World of Ruin while waiting and hoping for his king to come back. Ten years is a freakishly long time to not see a dear friend of yours and bringing up a fight you never got to get closure over after that much time is just not something people do. Especially since it’s a post-apocalyptic world and they have world saving to do… and Noctis knows he’ll die. He likely doesn’t want to bring up the painful past at that point because really, what would be the point? He already has very little time left as it is. Best try to use it to have at least a semblance of happiness in what’s essentially his last moments with his friends. As for Gladio, after stewing over it for ten years, a part of him might need to talk it out, to get proper closure, but if Noctis prefers to pretend it never happened and that everything was fine, then who is Gladio to begrudge him that in what’s essentially his last moments? In that regard, I feel like Gladio’s character made a complete one-eighty in chapter 14 (and I’m obviously only looking at the original chapter 14, not the additions the Royal Edition made because those feel tacked-on and like you’re playing a mesh-up of two different time-lines, but that’s a rant for another time). Where in chapters 10-13 he was nothing but a Shield, in chapter 14, he tries to be a friend more than a Shield, though he obviously still takes his duties seriously.

TL;DR: There are many details in the game that seem to point to the conclusion that the lack of a proper reconciliation between Gladio and Noctis post chapter 10 was on purpose. That they never actually made up and that while their bond didn’t break, it suffered some serious damage, which shows clearly in later chapters. That Gladio realized he might have gone too far a little too late and that by the time he was planning on sitting Noct down and talking things out with him and apologizing once things calmed down, it was a lost cause because he lost his chance the moment Noct was sucked into the Crystal without any indication if or when he’d come back out. Which is honestly depressing and heartbreaking, but at the same time, looking at character interactions and stuff, it makes a sad amount of sense.

Man i need an excuse to write an essay about the religious, specifically Christian, allusions and metaphors in Final Fantasy XV. Like i could talk your ear off about that. Like: -Noctis is referred to as “King of Kings” by Gilgamesh. The phrase “King of Kings” has a lot of historical background to it but what’s important here is this title is used twice in the Book of Revelation as a title for Jesus. -I can make arguments for both Noctis and Ardyn being Jesus figures. -Noctis has to sacrifice himself to save humanity -He’s gruesomely killed. like it isn’t a quick death it’s slow and painful. -Tells his “followers” (the bros) he’s gonna die before he does -Accepts his death, BUT the final campfire scene=Garden of Gethsemane  -Every past king of Lucis were tasked with making sure that when the King of Kings did come that the Ring and Crystal were safe and ready for him, and I see this as a parallel to the Prophets and John the Baptist -Multiple moments in the game I can argue are metaphorical Second Comings -In the game, a father sacrifices his son. yeah. -Talk of blood sacrifices -probably more that i’m forgetting Characters sacrificing themselves and being metaphors for Jesus is nothing new, but i did not expect for this game to do it when i bought it ha. Not sure what to argue this does for the narrative other than it makes the ending all the more obvious.

Ignis, in a world where Verse 2 is a fantasy he made up: "...Six...I keep trying to imagine Ravus, but all I can picture is the KFC man..."

Ardyn, in a world where Verse 2 is an alternate reality he created: "Ha! I'm gonna make Ravus look like the KFC man!"

Your power is mine: thoughts on Kingdom Hearts’ newest, oddest character

Finished Final Fantasy XV over the weekend. Mixed feelings to say the least, but it does give me an excuse to talk about Kingdom Hearts again, specifically this weirdo:

And how it feels like most of the people discussing Yozora and trying to figure out what his deal is are missing half the point. Yes, there’s the apparent connections to Sora and Riku, and there’s his meta association with Noctis and the entire real-life corporate backstory there intertwining with the in-game narrative to an unknown extent. But when he’s discussed as some kind of fusion of Sora and Riku, or a literal reincarnation of Noctis, or that Verum Rex might end up a real game, or something similarly straightforward in terms of “he’s going to be a very important central character going forward”, the ideas or at least the tone of how they’re presented seem to miss an absolutely critical component of how he was introduced to us, in a way that shapes not only him but by extension the entire future of the franchise and its thematic concerns:

We aren’t just supposed to be surprised he’s important because he’s real where we thought he wasn’t. We’re supposed to be surprised because he’s introduced to us as a self-evident gag character.

Not that we’re not supposed to take him seriously where it counts: it’s clear he has an important role going forward and is a force to be reckoned with. But no matter what deep, foreboding connections to the Keyblade and Master of Masters may lie within his backstory that may determine the fate of more universes than one, he will never not have had the hilariously inauspicious beginning of being a toy played by Rex the Dinosaur. He doesn’t even have the dignity of being introduced as a game on one of the plot-heavy original worlds! He’s a throwaway gimmick to spice up one of the filler Disney segments, literally a child’s plaything.

Even before we learn the context he’s being presented in...well, look at him. He’s like Riku, who’s cooler than Sora, and Noctis, a Final Fantasy character and therefore cooler than all this Disney stuff, but also he has a LASER SWORD and a CROSSBOW - that are clearly functioning as cool future tech instead of dopey magical powers - and his eyes are MYSTERIOUS MISMATCHING UNNATURAL COLORS and he fights GIANT ROBOTS with a dude in a fedora in a city straight out of the REAL WORLD to save a helpless lady/prize: truly, let no mistake be made, he is VERY, VERY SERIOUS INDEED, AND ALSO, RAD. TO THE MAX. He’s every attempt at reframing contemporary Final Fantasy as slick and modern and cool dialed up and up and up until the tone breaks, without the barest hint of self-awareness even as it advertises its action figure tie-ins. I don’t think that his little Keyblade pattern on his jacket being near-impossible to spot unless you’re looking for it is just to preserve the surprise, but also because the sight of the big keys with the Mickey Mouse logo on them would be anathema to his entire vibe, so important as it may be it must be squirreled away where it can’t make him look dumb. Heck, when Dylan Spouse announced on Twitter he was playing this major character in a childhood favorite franchise of his, surely knowing more than we do about Yozora, his description of the part was “I have lived out my edgy JRPG character fantasies...I even got to say ‘Sorry, but I don’t lose.’” We’re supposed to receive him off the bat as Square Enix, and more specifically Tetsuya Nomura, poking fun at themselves, going ‘yes, we suppose this is all getting to be a bit much, isn’t it?’

And then he enters the story for real.

Obviously he’s much more than a joke now, but the idea of him as something off, something that doesn’t fit in these games, endures. His episode isn’t just in a modern cityscape but skinned in the graphics of the grittier, more detailed style of the Pirates of the Caribbean world meant to evoke photorealism rather than the look of the rest of the game. He interferes with the gameplay in ways no other enemy does, stealing your items and weapons (we’ll get back to that). When he casts you into a void to be attacked by the mechs, it’s not a pure empty white but a mass of abstract polygonal space, evocative of the visuals of early game development. What details we do get of his backstory frame him as a counterpart to Sora on a parallel journey all his own, but the associations with his other source material in Noctis are considerably more...cutting. Credit to @kitsoa, whose own extensive musings on Kingdom Hearts’ increasingly overt metafictional concerns brought to my attention the obvious parallel: that Yozora being changed ‘beyond recognition’ with his heart replaced by another’s is a reasonable, albeit scathing description of Noctis’s revised character in the shift from the Nomura-helmed Final Fantasy Versus XIII to the largely overhauled Final Fantasy XV (and by the same token, the Nameless Star’s identity being stolen comes across as a shot at Versus XIII’s Stella Nox Fleuret being entirely replaced by Lady Lunafreya. Who, by sheer coincidence, would have been corrupted in planned but cancelled DLC into a monster of darkness).

While the comparisons to his source material are not only intentional but textually overt - his introduction as a real boy is literally scored to the FFXV theme music - so is the distancing from that material, given that if Nomura simply wanted to use Noctis the very premise of Kingdom Hearts as a series could have allowed him to use Noctis, and even change him to fit his original vision however he wished given the design and backstory changes to the other Final Fantasy characters involved. Yozora has a distinct role in which he’s still meant to represent that tone and aesthetic, and all signs point to that being because as that representation, he hardly seems an endorsement. He’s a parody, offered up in a demeaning context and tangled up narratively in real-life creative bitterness before being placed as an antagonist, however well-meaning (though keep in mind every secret boss of his kind before - other than Julius, I suppose - went on to become an endgame boss later on), in the player’s path. He may not be a villain, but all signs seem to indicate he’s a figure to be regarded as a contrast to the heroes.

And it’s in that role as a contrast that I have my own theories about what his deal ultimately is, thematically if not plotwise.

For those who saw this in the Kingdom Hearts tag and aren’t superhero fans, that’s Superdoomsday, introduced in Grant Morrison’s run on Action Comics about 8 years ago. One among many takes on an ‘evil Superman’ from a parallel universe, the twist with his world is that rather than a survivor of Krypton, he is literally the materialized concept of Superman - imagined by his reality’s Clark Kent, Lois Lane, and Jimmy Olsen, who created a machine which could bring ideas to life - that when sold to a corporation was reimagined in service of wide public appeal into an all-powerful, uncompromisingly brutal monstrosity clad in armor somewhere between an iPhone, 90s Rob Liefeld battle gear, and Nazi regalia, who ultimately journeyed into the multiverse to stalk and kill other incarnations of Superman, seeing them as competition to his domination of the ‘market’. “The curse...of Superman...” murmurs the dying Kent of that world, “...he becomes anything you want...him...to be...our world...wanted that...”

Yozora is...probably not exactly a 1:1 to that. But as a counterpart to Sora, it absolutely seems as if the main factor by which he contrasts him is that he’s ostensibly the sleeker, edgier model, new-and-improved. He reworks Sora’s story arc and aesthetic into something theoretically cooler and more palatable, steals his power, ‘saves’ him by sealing him away to presumably fight in his stead and thereby take his place as the lead. He is the protagonist so many feel Kingdom Hearts has needed for years, the somber AMV-ready Secret Movie tone and aesthetic stepping into center stage at last rather than maintaining a sunshiney Disney-esque child hero lead to anchor the assorted conspiracies and horrors of much of the rest of the tale. The manner in which he is presented as to make metatextuality an in-universe concern (to call back to Grant Morrison again, his next work after Action Comics was Multiversity, where a major plot point was that the events of parallel universes were unwittingly documented in each others’ pop culture; in that case comic books, in here video games) for Kingdom Hearts to explore in the next main entry is I believe so as to ask what, in fact, Kingdom Hearts as a series should be; is it a Disney series with some incidental Final Fantasy stuff in it? A Final Fantasy spinoff with some Disney elements cluttering it up that should maybe be discarded as it grows up? Something all its own? Is it time for Kingdom Hearts to get Serious? Even if the Kingdom Hearts as imagined by a marketing executive vision of Verum Rex isn’t what’s next, what is, as things get darker and that vision is now part of the narrative whether for good or ill?

So yeah it looks like Kingdom Hearts IV is Kingdom Hearts vs. its own Gritty Realworld! Urban Fantasy AU fanfiction for the soul of the series, and I am extremely here for it.

ok idk whether or not you've decided on a classpect for noctis yet, but i HAVE to ask. What do you think about Page of Doom for Noctis?

tbh at first I auto assigned him Heir of Space just cause that's my classpect and I relate to noctis a lot, but then as I learned more about classpects I realized that Page of Doom fits him way better. At least, that's what I think. (actually I'm still using heir of space as his classpect for like a signifier for a doomed timeline in my ffxv/sburb au)

Ah yes sorry about that, I’ve been meaning to get to Noctis but this Tumblr used to be run by two people. I did the analysis and the other person did the fan art. This is now a one person blog so unfortunately there won’t be any fan art of Noctis and his classpect.

I will still do his classpect analysis though in the future. Regarding typing and analyzing a character’s classpect, I try to think of how the inverted classpect fits into their arc as well, and if it doesn’t make sense regarding the character’s arc within the story, I analyze more till the classpect and inverted classpect best represent that arc as a whole. It’s easy to think about the Classpect that shows the external version of the character, but I think it helps to think about the inverted Classpect since it reinforces and shows more evidence towards the “Outer” Classpect ( we’ll call it that for now). For example, consider the Prompto Classpect analysis I did: he’s a Knight of Light, meaning the inverted Classpect of that is the Rogue of Void. When first analyzing him, I was between choosing the Light aspect and the Void aspect as well as the Knight and Rogue classes, I realized then that choosing to consider the inversion of classes and aspects, helps shows the characters strengths, their insecurities, and their transformation over the course of the story. Prompto’s insecurities stemmed from not feeling like he was enough and was completely concerned about his own value to others (Void) but his strengths lie in how he’s able to see the value in others and their roles within the big picture (Light) he just needed to be able to find the value within himself. You have to think about how both opposite aspects relate to the character’s story, where their ultimate priorities lay, what they give up, and how they go about interacting with the world . I’ve decided in the end that Noctis is a Heir of Space since it fits with his story and arc throughout the game, I’ll go into more detail with the analysis but this is ultimately what I’ve decided his classpect to be in the end. Strange enough that you ended up guessing one of the two classpects I considered for him.

Regarding the Page of Doom classpect, to be completely honest, I don’t agree with him being one because I (personally at least) don’t see how the Page’s arc and the Doom aspect describe his role perfectly or well enough in Final Fantasy XV. Along with the fact that the inverted classpect of the Page of Doom is the Thief of Life, he in no way shows shades of the Thief Classpect throughout the game (in my opinion at least but I’m open to understanding the reasoning from others). When assigning a classpect to a character I try to keep in mind the powers they possess, since powers are often used in stories as symbols to a characters personality and role in a story. In Noctis’ case, Space seemed the better option since his powers deal with teleporting, using space around him in any way he can, and the ability to manifest his weapons with the magic. He has to become one with this magic at some point in his life but it’s only through death and sacrifice on his part, which is where the Time Aspect comes in to represent what he’s scared of physically and symbolically.

I hope this provides some understanding in how I decide on classpects for characters, and I’m always happy to answer more questions regarding the processes I go through when thinking about all this. Thank you for showing interest in this Tumblr!

Does free will even exist in FFXV? Post-Episode Ardyn discussion

Keywords: free will, destiny, destiny-fabricated role vs personal self, Noctis, Ardyn

Yesterday I finished FFXV's Episode Ardyn DLC and watched all my headcanons and theories come true. These were surely headcanons and theories I shared with many of you fans, with anyone who analyzed stuff a bit deeper. What I dived into is the following problem: does free will even exist in FFXV? aka the problem of free will VS destiny/divine calling. I’ll put the text under the Keep Reading cut, since this is a rather long post. I hope you enjoy it!

The story of FFXV is the story of the Lucis royal bloodline. Basically, from the starts of their kingdom to erasure of it all, with the Fleuret line of Oracles, the Niflheim empire and Astrals involved. But first we must address the Astrals vs humanity conflict which precedes and gives a bit of context to the starts of the Lucis. A main possible reason for this conflict is the fact that humanity can evolve and gain immense knowledge, literally Become as Gods (totally not a NieR Automata reference) or at least god-killers, ever since Ifrit gave them the fire of wisdom and civilizations like Solheim crafted it into rafined machinery. Humanity is dangerous, Ifrit did a bad thing (he realized this and was enraged by the fact that the humans would even consider building god-killing machines, like a god-human friendship betrayed), and no other Astral ever came over this.

Exterminating humanity is still a thing. It is interesting to note that both helping and destroying humanity are 2 legacies of Ifrit, either pre- or post-Solheim evolution. EP Gladio told us that Bahamut defeated Ifrit, but since then the Scourge came from a meteor called by Ifrit (a danger to both humans and gods, since both humanity and gods treated Ifrit like shit in the end). Surely Bahamut knew it was all the fault of humanity's insatiable curiosity and DETERMINATION, thus he'd have no reservations about using humans aka mere mortals to eventually get rid of the Scourge if he can AND at a safe distance so that he'd remain unafflicted. So exterminating humanity was the plan back then and is still a hidden intention or a necessary strategy move of some Astrals (ex. Bahamut with his use of the Lucis, and Leviathan who is THIS close to drowning everyone), while pre-Solheim Ifrit's legacy also lived on with Shiva and, maybe, Titan, while other Astrals simply decided to isolate themselves forever (Ramuh). The gods definitely had their own plans, and let's call their plans the will of gods, which in the FFXV universe equals "destiny". Or should, at least.

The case of Somnus. So let's say it all LOOKS as if the humans themselves brought all this to themselves. Somnus states he was envious and wanted to be special and loved by his people, but his people loved Ardyn for the genuinely nice person he was, and only 1 could sit the throne, while negociation was not an opition for Somnus (ex. splitting the kingdom, while most people clearly would side with Ardyn). Also, the moment Somnus found out, before Ardyn, that Ardyn was "chosen" (Aera told Somnus this), that was the last drop to his psychopath brain cocktail (let's be real, who, without an ounce of unhealthy mental state, would ever consider "killing" their brother, his wife-to-be and also seal their brother, fully alive, in a dark cave, pierced by chains and stuff, for eternity? Somnus, a pragmatist? Like this? But I refuse.). Envy and desire for rulership are reasonable motives for Somnus' actions, they'd be enough to carry the concept of free will and create the set-up for the rest of the history of Lucis. However, rather than humane motives, a "divine calling" brings (the excuse for apparent) solid justification in a way more indisputable way, and Somnus still believes he was merely fulfilling his calling (justifies his actions via calling it all destiny), in the Ardyn vs Somnus fight. His dialogue in the fight presents both elements: human motives and divine justification, as if clinging to free will but also denying it to seek justification via divine approval (Somnus: "I did what I did because I wanted to, I wanted to be special in the eyes of my people and I wanted to rule them! What I did was cruel, yes, cruel, but I was merely answering my divine calling." If we write it out like this, we can clearly see how he presumes both free will and destiny to be true, maybe unaware that the concept of destiny negates the concept of free will aka he can't be special if he just merely carries out the grander plan of destiny, like a puppet).

The case of Aera. One can be judged guilty or innocent depending on their own actions, for which they bare full responsibility. In order to do that, they must have free will to choose, otherwise responsibility is lifted. The key question for Aera is “can a human have a fault and be judged guilty when destiny dictates and justifies all human actions?" It is hard to determine if Aera truly "does have a fault" or not, since, again, everyone's actions seem to be already destined to be the way they are, before they even know it. In favor of her having free will, we can say she couldn't possibly predict that a brother would kill a brother over the throne, but that is shaky ground since Somnus was known to the population as the guy who burns people alive for even "seeming" to carry the Scourge. These are instances in which one could argue that humans retain their free will and bad sense of logic. But there's another thing that botheres me: the Crystal.

It's possible that the Crystal doesn't reflect the godly will, but the impartial truth. We are told that the Crystal acts like a mirror in which the will of the gods can be seen. According to this acception of the term, that means that destiny = Ardyn rules as the first king. Even so, this destiny is never fullfilled, yet another "destiny" takes its place. This seems fishy to me, I start to think that the Gods aren't vehicles of destiny, but beings that orchestrate whatever they want except 1 thing: the truth. Maybe the Crystal is void of any human or divine criteria of judgement and only shows the true state of things. The truth was Ardyn = First King, which is by all means predictable since the whole population was already happy to accept Ardyn as King by the time Aera looked into it, but truth can be hidden with enough layers of "it's destined, it's my calling, this course of history is the will of gods", IF the will of gods doesn't like the truth. Astrals, unlike Hebrew/Christian vision of God for example, are far far away from being the truth themselves (God = truth, Astrals definitely not). So the humanity extermination agenda still holds, even after these considerations, because, if humans do have free will (that's the reason Astrals got mad and felt threatened by humanity in first place, then the best aproach for a Astral is to trick them into believing they are "special" because they "answer a calling", they have a destiny to fulfill, thus becoming their instruments in larger plans, while the Astrals themselves are free of any responsibilities, like helping humanity, like the people pray for...). In the end, the Astrals, most notably Bahamut, is much satisfied with the results: Solheim? destroyed. Niflheim? destroyed. Tenebrae? destroyed. Altissia? in ruins. Lucis? erased. Only the people left wandering outside some state-authority remained alive, and they hardly have the same extreme ambitions as Solheim or Niflheim had. At least for now...

He who knows the truth, knows it's all unfair, but had no choice. I'd say that Ardyn, even in madness, is the most humane character in terms of his way of thinking. He has clear vision over what is preposterous and what is unfair, even in his own mixed history of actions (from extremely good to extremely cruel actions). And you know who else also has that clear bullshit filter? Noctis. The highest pawns in the play, the 2 kings, know this destiny stuff is unnecessary cruelty that one could even try to avoid, but with the continental plague at bay, they are forced to act. Ardyn fought his destined role to spread darkness for a long time, insisting that he wants to save people, not to harm them. Young Noctis definitely doesn't like all this Chosen King plan everyone is forcing on him (we, as players, can see this pretty well in the main game, also thanks to the great voice acting). After finding out the truth, Ardyn doesn't handle it well at all, as he was abandoned, tortured, forgotten, called a monster and other absolutely ridiculous things that an originally kindhearted man just has no reason to be forced to endure (like he shouts "For what sins must I attone?!").

Free will remains at the core of their hearts. Accepting the fate or resisting it doesn't change Ardyn's status as, literally, a man of no consequence, but it's good to keep in mind that he continues to NOT be ok with this darkness-spreading role, for he says in his "submit to fate" ending: "Loath though I am to serve the shadows...", aka unwilling to serve the shadows. Also, mature Noctis understands what role he plays, and what man he slays, he learns everything, presumably, in the Crystal, hence the noticeable change of attitude towards Ardyn as Noctis matured. My favourite scene in the whole game is when Ardyn in the real world fades away with a smile, under Noct's understanding watch. Who knows what he smiles for... his death-to-come, the success of his revenge, or, as I like to think, the thought that at least his counterpart understood the larger scheme of things and didn't just buy into this Astral destiny construct. They knew they were forced into this play, they knew they were driven into a corner (facing the Starscourge), but I believe they both had their original, unique selves intact deep in their hearts, and by this I mean they both kept a common personal desire, chosen via free will, in contrast to the desires of the roles fabricated by destiny. That desire was to save lives, and that, in the larger, very circular plan, meant the undoing of the Starscourge. However, personally, I think Noctis' deep personal desire wasn't this (saving people, like Ardyn's personal wish), even if saving the world is an honorable goal. I think Noctis' personal self just wanted to live and, sadly, his destiny-fabricated self in the end didn't allow this to him, while Ardyn, for all the long suffering he had to endure and also inflict for no reason, in the end accomplished, in a way, both his original self's goal to purge the Scourge/save people and also his destiny-fabricated self's role of spreading the darkness and fuel Noctis with enough motives for Noct to WANT to kill his counterpart.

Tertium non datur/no third option is given. I want to add that in FFXV's plot, there is no middle way like "humans shape their own destiny"/"humans can change destiny"/"humans can defy their fate". If that would be the case, then we'd probably have a plot in which both Ardyn and Noctis strive to fight against the gods, in different or maybe even mutual ways. Maybe they'll be given such a third option in the FFXV novel, but so far, it seems free will simply is not allowed to manifest itself in FFXV's story, ruled by the concept of destiny.

That is all... I want to end this post with my personal feelings towards this final, whole picture of the plot. I'd be lying if I said I don't feel bad about it all. Free will is one of the key-concepts that give humanity meaning and work of fiction that takes it away for no solid (and well-presented) reason will always be... uncomfortable for me to read, to say the least. I feel the whole story becomes void of meaning because of everyone just playing their parts in destiny's bad PowerPoint presentation, and I feel it's very unfair to characters with such great designs, like Noctis and Ardyn. Thanks for reading~...