hello, hello ^^ could i please ask about 'the memory of you' or 'mineshaft' for ffxv of your wips ? i low-key am curious about all of them xD but those titles i named piqued my interest most
The Memory of You, like nemo, is an older fic of mine and one I adore very much. It's about Noctis and Ardyn getting de-aged by a daemon's spell into their 7 and 10 year old selves, and they have to adventure across the country together as kids, from Cleigne all the way to Hammerhead, to reunite with Noctis's friends so that they can help them turn back into adults. The first 3 chapters have already been posted to AO3 here.
It's basically an enemies-to-friends adventure fic, with Ardyn redemption and big canon divergence. Fluffy cute times and angsty hurt times ensue. It's a long, dangerous journey across the country for two adults stuck in their kid bodies. And on the way they not only learn to cooperate but they learn more about each other. Noctis learns that there's more to Ardyn than just his annoying attitude, and Ardyn sees that Noctis isn't just the instrument of his own vengeance.
Noctis feels guilty about the whole thing because getting turned into kids is basically all his fault and so he wants to help Ardyn return to his adult body, and obviously Ardyn needs Noctis alive and as an adult again to exact his revenge, so of course they're both going to try and protect each other along the way. But then looking out for each other turns out to be a bit of a tricky thing because that leads to caring what happens to each other, that leads to worrying about each other.
And I've really come to love the title for this fic because it just fits so well. Ardyn, while he's in his child form, isn't under the influence of the starscourge. So there's less of a madness to him, it's harder to lose himself in the anger and the hatred without the scourge adding fuel to the fire. Of course, as they start to bond through their adventure, Ardyn has to keep reminding himself why he shouldn't care about Noctis, this doppelganger of his little brother. He has to remember that Somnus betrayed him, he has to remember that the gods and the people "betrayed" him, he has to remember that Aera "betrayed" him--but then he also has to remember why those were betrayals in the first place.
It's a mixture of angst and fluffiness, and I love this fic very very much! Pity it ALSO likes to fight with me AHHHHHHH.
Also, I have to shout out this cover of Somnus by Celestial Aeon Project because it's gorgeous and inspires me so much for this fic and it inspired a major scene and I get goose bumps every time and now Somnus's theme recurring through my fic's playlist is super important lol.
Also here's a little snippet (first drafty writing):














