Luna Libertatis

Cosplayer ▴ Writer ▴ Ukulele Strummer ▴ Graduate Student ▴ Fandom and Chill ▴  FFXV SQUAD ▴ House Scientia ▴ Gladiolus Defense League ▴ Love is the law, and the law won. ▴ Cash me outside on Twitter, IG, and AO3: luna_libertatis 

[chipeppers]

I Got 99 WIPs...

…and finished ain’t one XD

I know for sure I’m going to be working on some more daemon-slayer Iris in a bit for a fun project me and @lunalibertatis are envisioning…but someone help me get better at time management so I can finish some of these other pics! 😜

[lunalibertatis-blog]

Military Ranks in XV

XV fandom, let's talk military ranks! 

I wonder sometimes what the actual military ranks held by the boys since they don’t really refer to them, preferring to identify as Crownsguard or by their position in relation to Noctis (Shield, Advisor, etc.), which makes sense.  I am American, so I'm making all these comparisons to U.S. Army.

I have no direct knowledge of the military, so apologies in advance for any errors. I only have two things going for me:

1) The ability to Google. 2) The desire to procrastinate.

There are two four broad classifications of soldiers, three of which are officers:

Enlisted Soldier      - Privates and Specialists

Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO)      - Corporals and Sergeants

Warrant Officers

Commissioned Officer (CO)      - Lieutenants, Captains, Majors, Colonels, and Generals

So Enlisted Soldiers, NCOs, and Warrant Officers are all technically non-commissioned, but they are each their own separate promotion "ladder." It's possible, even common, to move laterally from Enlisted to NCO. Warrant Officers are NCOs who are designated as Warrant Officers by, well, “warrant” by the President, rather than a commission.

Commissioned Officers receive special training that relates to their specialty or function, as well as training in leadership.  The vast majority of COs get their commissions by attending either military service academies, the ROTC, or Officer Candidate Schools.

Now, let’s move on to the XV boys...

Gladiolus Amicitia

Beginning of Game: Lieutenant Amicitia End of Game: Captain Amicitia

Definitely a commissioned officer. He was BORN into a military family, to fill a military position. He was in training to join the Crownsguard basically his entire life, and his education likely had a strong military component. Plus now we know he ends up a Captain; his path seems the most cut-and-dry, honestly.

The first rank of commissioned officers is Second Lieutenant, followed by First Lieutenant, and then Captain.

Second Lieutenants and First Lieutenants both must spend time working as staff officers, and both must command a platoon (15-50 soldiers) before being promoted up to the next rank. Second Lieutenants are usually at that rank for 12-24 months, and then are promoted up to First Lieutenant where they may spend much more time as they gain experience.

"Captains are the final authority in company-sized elements for every matter that the company deals with. They are legal enforcers of standards and discipline, aided in such charge by the First Sergeant. Additionally, they are the ultimate trainers of the members of the company, charged with ensuring that the company is always prepared to accomplish its missions." [x]

So, I think when Gladio was sworn into the Crownsguard, his official rank was likely Second Lieutenant, and by the time the game begins, and they leave Insomnia, he's a First Lieutenant. Then, due to his extensive experience and services during the WOR, he become Captain.

Ignis Scientia

Beginning of Game: Sergeant Scientia End of Game: First Sergeant Scientia

Ignis does not strike me as the military academy type. I could see him working up the NCO ranks, possibly making the common lateral move from Specialist (highest Enlisted Soldier) to Corporal (lowest NCO), and then moving up the Sergeant ranks.

I’ll go more into Specialists when I talk about Prompto, but I have to say here that, historically: “Specialists were informally called "specs" plus the numerical grade of their rank.” [x] 

It’d just be cute if Noctis’ nickname for him is a nostalgic double-entrendre from one of his early military promotions. But by the time the game begins, I think he’d already quickly moved up to be a Sergeant.

“Sergeants are responsible for the daily care-taking, training, equipping, physical appearance and fitness, and well-being of the soldiers assigned under them. They also stand responsible for the personal lives of their soldiers and charged with making sure they are in order or helping them to become so when problems are identified.” [x]

Then, later, I think he may have attained the rank of First Sergeant, which would also mean that he’s directly working with/advising Gladio: 

"Soldiers holding this rank.. are recognized as the most tactically and technically competent as well as experienced NCO's in companies…they are the ultimate enforcers of standards and discipline as well as the final authority on all aspects of soldiering, including but not limited to tactics, techniques, procedures... Soldiers serving underneath them revere First Sergeants, and even officers who work with them at the company level recognize them as the experts and often the final authority on Army matters, despite officers technically holding higher rank." [x]

So I think Ignis was sworn into the Crownsguard maybe as a Corporal already, then he starts the game as Sergeant Scientia. Then, over the years, he ends up as First Sergeant Scientia due to all his experience. 

Prompto Argentum

Beginning of Game: Specialist Argentum End of Game:  Mr. Argentum OR Chief Argentum 

Prompto is definitely an NCO; he didn't even start any sort of military-like training until he met Noct. So he's got a maximum of 5 years of training at the start of the game, and I think he probably ends up becoming a Warrant Officer. 

Specialists are the first rank of Enlisted Soldiers that have leadership duties. "Specialist is a common rank in the Army, achieved after a minimum of two years of service and after consistently demonstrated good performance of individual duties and responsibilities."  

Warrant Officers are designated as officers by the President via a warrant, rather than a commission, and “They may be technical experts with a long service as enlisted personnel...” [x] So maybe it was something where Prompto stayed a Specialist all throughout the WOR, because he was at the top of his promotion ladder, but then when Noct returns he names him a Warrant Officer. The bigger jump would be because of all the years of service and specialization in his skills.

“Warrant Officers remain single-specialty Officers with career tracks that progress within their field, unlike their Commissioned Officer counterparts who focus on increased levels of command and staff duty positions.” [x]

That honestly sounds more like Prompto, rather than seeking out a leadership or command position. Instead, focusing on his technical skills, his artillery skills, or even his combat photography skills.

BONUS: Cor Leonis

Beginning of Game: Sergeant Major Leonis End of Game: Sergeant Major of the Army Leonis

Ah, The Marshal. He’s the whole reason I even started looking into all of this!

Marshal is technically a rank, just not one that's used in the United States. But in countries that do use it as a rank, it's the HIGHEST Army rank, so the U.S. equivalent is a 5-star General.

"Marshals are typically, but not exclusively, appointed only in wartime...Some historical rulers have used special "marshal" titles to reward certain subjects. Though not strictly military ranks, these honorary titles have been exclusively bestowed upon successful military leaders...” [x] 

So it may be that Cor's moniker is more this type of "Marshal," and that that is not his official military rank.

Since he was busy running around from the age of 14, fighting in wars and being a bodyguard, I see him as more of an NCO than someone who took time off to go to the military academy and get a commission that way. I think that it’s probable that he held the rank of Sergeant Major already at the start of the game:

"Soldiers holding the rank of Sergeant Major serve at the battalion level or higher in staff positions, helping to plan, resource, and conduct unit missions as well as providing valuable insight and advice, based on careers' worth of experience and expertise, into how such operations could be better conducted in the future. Sergeants Major have a minimum of eighteen years of experience in the Army and often much more than that upon receiving their rank. Their expertise and competence, both technically and tactically, is matched only by other Sergeants Major." [x]

Later in life, perhaps during and after the WOR, I can see him as the Sergeant Major of the Army:

“The Sergeant Major of the Army (SMA) is the highest ranking enlisted solider in the entire United States Army, held by one enlisted soldier at a time. It is the most prestigious and honorable of all enlisted ranks, titles, and positions. The SMA serves at the right hand of the Chief of Staff of the Army (CSA), the highest ranking and senior most general officer in the Army. He serves as both as an advisor to the CSA as well as the final authority on standards and discipline for all soldiers in the Army, enlisted and officer.” [x]

[lunalibertatis-blog]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Characters: Ignis Scientia/Gladiolus Amicitia/Noctis Lucis Caelum (⚔️🛡👑)  

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: None

Relationship: M/M/M

Length: 1,500 words

Summary: Three sleepy boys, and a lullaby.

Ignis presses his nose into Noct’s hair and starts humming a quiet lullaby. The notes buzz low in his throat as the Prince’s hand unfurls from Ignis’ hip, dropping innocently into the sheets between their naked bodies. The movement draws Gladio’s attention, and Ignis peers up at him from behind the thicket of Noct’s hair. He hums the lullaby a bit louder, drawing him in, and Gladio smiles as he shifts over to kiss Ignis through wisps of inky hair.

“Whose idea was it to put a cradle in a treetop?” Gladio murmurs against Ignis’ lips, as he slides his arm under Noct’s ribs, tugging his slack body upward to lie fully on Gladio’s chest. Ignis moves closer, into the warmth Noct’s body left behind, and nestles his head on Gladio’s shoulder. From this spot, Noct’s face is all that he can see, Gladio’s heartbeat all he can hear.

Keep Reading...

[lunalibertatis-blog]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Characters: Nyx Ulric & Noctis Lucis Caelum (🐺 + 👑)  

Rating: Teen+ (for language)

Warnings: None

Relationship: Gen/Canon-Plausible

Length: 6,500 words 

Summary: Prince Noctis turns sixteen, and begins training in how to use his magic to warp. Nyx Ulric had never thought of himself as a teacher, but a Galahdan never backs down from a challenge.

Nyx Ulric checked the time, and sped his pace as he walked through the corridors of the Citadel. He had been many things in his life. A son, a friend. A brother, once. Bartender. Soldier. Member of the Kingsglaive. But he’d never thought of himself as a teacher. A coach, maybe, a commander. Someone who could run a recruit through drills and beat a little humility into them on the sparring mat. But not a teacher. He stopped in front of a set of heavy wooden doors.

There was a fluttering under his skin that had nothing to do with trepidation. Whenever he was in the presence of King Regis, it felt like the magic within Nyx was gently pushing outward against his skin, reaching out toward his sovereign, its source. This was a similar feeling: a recognition, but without the urge for reunion.

When he had been asked to do this today, Nyx had been surprised. He told the King that he was deeply honored, but that there were other Glaive, ones whose job was actually to train recruits, who might be better suited to the task.

King Regis had smiled a bit at that. “Many might be suited to the task, but I believe that you are better suited to the student.”

Nyx Ulric had been a soldier since he was fourteen. He knew an order when he heard one. And so here he was, two days later, stepping into the Crownsguard training hall.

Keep Reading...

[lunalibertatis-blog]

Sometimes a shirt you find on eBay changes your whole life. I have to do some work on it, and get the proper accessories...but I'm pretty pleased nonetheless.