The Jester's hat - of madness and misery

Side blog for everything regardyn ffxv. Probably not spoiler free, my dear friend. 60% fanarts, 30% bad puns and 10% fanfics = 100% trash. Mostly Ignoct, Ardyn and Prompto because I'm badly influenced by those surrounding me.

[impatient-traveler]

I got some reference photos of Gilgamesh’s face under the mask~! Yes, this is legitimately part of his in-game model, just deleted the mask and was left with this.

First up some reference shots for his face

Then some scale comparisons - the Nyx is basically the Comrades base body. In-game Gilgamesh is almost exactly 3m tall

I’ve seen the fandom mostly headcanons him as being taller than Ardyn when alive, so I scaled him down to a still impressive 2.2m tall

And finally deleted as much of his armor as I could so I could reveal his body shape. Anything more and there’d just be holes showing through as he doesn’t have a nude model underneath.

Enjoy, everyone, and hope you find this resource useful~

Bonus: @dragongirl218 requested a shot of Ardyn wearing full size Gilgamesh mask, here it is: 

>:B

[valkyrieofardyn]

Bless you 🙏 The long awaited face has been revealed!

[his-spare-hats]

This is Gil and your arguments are invalid, moustache? What moustache? Who is that even.

[his-spare-hats]

Our Ardyn Playlist

brought to you by his-spare-hats and @his-pair-of-spare-glasses

This is the list of songs we have on spotify that remind us of Ardyn (mostly lyric-wise) and those I use to get into his character most of the time.

I tried to put it in order of his story so it starts off rather uncertain and becomes stronger and...less caring? Hope this makes sense.

My Demons - Starset

Monster - Imagine Dragons

Deep End - Ruelle

Freak Show – Set It Off

A Monster Like Me - Mørland and Debrah Scarlett 

Hurricane - 30 Seconds to Mars

Flawed Design - Stabilo

Duality - Set It Off

27 - Fall Out Boy

Crazy - Gnarls Barkley

Like a Hobo – Charlie Winston (come on, I had to)

Back from the Dead – Skillet (definitely listens to this while driving)

Centuries - Fall Out Boy

Emperor’s New Clothes - Panic! at the Disco

Honorable mentions:

No More Heroes – Aviators

Play with Fire – Sam Tinnesz (everything of this dude for that matter. I saw a FMV of this earlier and it struck me)

Hard Rock Hallelujah - Lordi (another song we believe Ardyn would cruise to at night)

The Vampire Waltz (for all you vamp!AU people. There’s a 20 minute compilation on YT. Look it up.)

What do you think? Any lyrics you found where you were like “hell, this is trash jesus” or a type of song you can relate to him for whatever reason?

[his-spare-hats]

Watching PotC1...

...I realized Barbossa and Jack are like the two halves of Ardyn

I can’t find proper GIFs of the bickering BUT Jack is the mad “let’s burn down Insomnia, I got this” Ardyn and Barbossa is the common sense Ardyn who made a 2000 year plan to take revenge.

Sometimes Jack-Ardyn will be all “Trust me. Let’s anger Lucis.” to Aldercapt and once it all goes wrong he’ll go:

leaving it all to the other half

Then Jack-Ardyn will talk of so many things nobody can make any sense from

But then again, he’s got a point

They may both be a part of Ardyn but in the end Jack and Barbossa are...rivals til death...or aren’t they?

This just...somewhat occured to me while watching the movie and I had to get it out SOMEhow. Watch it and you’ll understand.

Now I want pirate Ardyn, thanks.

[his-pair-of-spare-glasses]

Young Ravus is very much confused.

[caffeineartist]

I’m sorry Ravus I now you deserve better but I could’t help myself.

[his-pair-of-spare-glasses]

I SNORTED!!!!!

[his-spare-hats]

TENEBRAE EXPLAIN

[his-spare-hats]

you have been visited by the Ardyn of Creativity

reblog to hopefully receive a sudden creativity boost. for every like you get infected with starscourge for free

…

i really don’t have any ideas i like right now i’m sorry. this was drawn during 1 ardyn theme, not longer….haaaah…..

[ipromptography]

arriving in 2019 like

HAPPY NEW YEAR! 

Walk tall

[robasarel]

[his-spare-hats]

Do not fear losing your path.

For I shall become your eyes.

  Fanart for episode Ignis, the one thing that was on my mind this week. I am. so proud. of myself. for once.

[his-spare-hats]

Bonus - the scrap and two tiny concept ideas. Much less epic but hey, my pride as one of my first digital paintings

I enjoy the baby-noct extra scrap on the right I drew to make sure I got the proportions at least SOMEWHAT right...sigh

Let’s not...think about how I sketched this in class coughs

[his-spare-hats]

Today was a weird day in terms of style but I am more than satisfied with how this young lad turned out!

Iggy training. And training....and....training some more. I’m getting tired just from thinking about it (those thighs don’t come from nothing after all)

The original idea was to go for a Shadowhunter concept but I thought there aren’t that many in the fandom so I removed them here, but if you are interested: random rune tats added under the cut (not that it’d make a big difference)

[ukenceto]

// As I walk through the Valley of The Shadow of Death, I’ll come out of the Valley with that Shadow’s last breath // Gilgamesh Song by Blacktop Mojo

[chibi-jing]

Basically Ardyn’s story, except that unfortunately Ardyn didn’t have a dog.

Side Effects by Eleonora Stella Hariyono Oei.

[his-spare-hats]

Long introduction problems:

“I have to write 1000 words!”

- “So, how many do you have with that...introduction where only things happen that are not relevant at all?”

“...275 words?”

- “You’ve written 1/4. And whoooo still doesn’t get to the point?”

“Oh oh, I know! I don’t get to the point!!”

[his-pair-of-spare-glasses]

NEW KH3 TRAILER WHACKED MY LIFE OUT OF ME.

I WON’T SURVIVE.

[saanphoenix-deactivated20260411]

Hi. Hey. Here’s my personal feelings about the whole Ardyn thing. This is where I stand currently as a person.

I don’t care that Lucian history paints Somnus as a noble and good king, because history always paints the victors in a positive light. I don’t care that he sounded sad when he asked Noctis to save Ardyn, because he’s the one who abandoned the man in the first place, helped erase him from history, and was also willing to let all the innocent civilians of Insomnia die. I don’t care if he had good intentions or if he was pressured by the gods or his people, he left his brother in a deep, dark pit for an unknowable amount of time because of a prophecy and HELPED ERASE HIM FROM HISTORY.

I do not care one ounce for Somnus. In a game where Noctis’ retainers, friends, brothers-in-arms are willing to risk everything for HIM and not some divine plan, in a game where the theme song is literally “Stand by Me,” this fucker did none of that.

At the end of the day, Somnus went along with daemonizing his brother. His bloodline struck from history the gods’ involvement in their own fabled Healer’s supposed downfall. Over the centuries, no one was even allowed to conceive of an alternative to SAVE Ardyn instead of damn him and kill him after years of torment. Years that became two millenia.

Ardyn is a cruel, homicidal man, make no mistake. He takes back all those lives he helped save. But had one Somnus fuckin’ Izunia given nearly half an ounce of love to Ardyn that goddamn Ignis Scientia gave to Noctis he wouldn’t be. If Ardyn had popped outta that prison to find a world that celebrated his sacrifice and mourned him, that REMEMBERED him and wasn’t afraid to admit it fucked up…that man wouldn’t be NEARLY as pissed off as he has every right to be.

Congratulations, you made your own damn monster. And you have the gall to be SAD. Two thousand years after the fact, after being willing to let Insomnia fall because the gods say to look towards the future and not the suffering right under your nose. Fuuuck you. You are no king, and certainly no brother.

[hongvanngh]

There is a book called “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas“

Omelas, was a shimmering city of unbelievable happiness and delight. But the city’s constant state of serenity and splendor requires that a single unfortunate child be kept in perpetual filth, darkness, and misery. In a way, the one unfortunate child of Omelas have a smililar but better fate than Ardyn. They were mortal, their suffering would end soon; and each and every citizen of Omelas, at 8 years old, would know and meet this child in their prison. They were allow to acknowledge the price of their happy lives while people in Eos were clueless till the last moment, generations after generations. Life as we know it, are made from endless interaction between countless being, both intentionally and unintentionally; but what if you find out all the privilege you have so far, all have build directly on the suffering of a single innocent person, kept in perpetual filth, darkness, and misery for eternity…. Would you still enjoy your life, or you would be “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas”? Noctis, the chosen king, have make his choice, since his homeland already ruined, he choose to walk away and also free an other man from his shackles. The debt of his family to Ardyn, he paid for it with his own. And what about Somnus? He couldn’t even mourn his own brother. Queen Elizabeth keep a secret portrait of her convicted mother in her ring, and what did Somnus do? Enjoy the throne while his own brother suffer. The throne was build on countless effort of Ardyn in saving people. I don’t agree with how Ardyn pour his anger on innocents descendants and there is no way to say that he wasn’t a villain; but if he did that on 100 years span or 3-5 generation after the betrayal; I would gladly help him with full force.

[his-pair-of-spare-glasses]

Okay. OKAY.

This is the true reason why Ardyn doesn’t shower.

Imagine him coming out of the shower like this. His hair has been on fleek for the last 2000 years, he’d never want to miss it. He doesn’t like how his hair straightens out and clings to his face.

I think he hates rain as well because it destroys his lovely curls, hence the umbrella.

I created a monster.

[his-spare-hats]

I wanted to ask how no one thought of this before but now I know.

[his-spare-hats]

How the f*ck was I not following you? I fixed it. It's okay now.

We are both guilty in that sense, I fixed it too, we’re good :’D

[his-spare-hats]

I am curious now about your "Day of the Luau" with Glasses?

Okay, you see, every year (officially on the 3rd Sunday of October - Subject to change) Glasses, my best friend and I greet each other with “Luau” and sit down to watch The Lion King. But Hats, why The Lion King? What has it got to do with basically shouting Luau at each other? Easy. Everybody who knows the movie will remember how Timon and Pumbaa dance in an attempt to attract the hyenas’ attention and draw them away from Simba and Nala. To commemorate this act of selflessness to help out a friend in need, we decided to introduce the Day of the Luau. It’s a symbol of close friendship!(and it’s most certainly not because we needed an excuse for my friend to not go to a birthday party she didn’t want to attend 5 years ago cough cough)