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[sword-and-surfboard]

FFXIV Site Write #24: Bar

Ever gallant, Aeluan held the door open for his best friend, Shev, as they walked into the establishment. He followed after, blinking aetheryte blue eyes repeatedly to adjust to the dimmer light. It was very loud. The shouts of people betting on the fighters in the rings made the whole place almost seem to shake. Shev said something to him, but it was near impossible to hear so he just made a questioning look and a shrug. Shev appeared to laugh and beckoned the big Raen to follow.

They wended their way through the crowds all the way to the back of the place. It was marginally quieter, at least enough to carry on a (shouted) conversation.

"Bit loud, isn't it?" he asked Shev as they slid onto stools beside one another.

"Louder th'n average, aye," the Viera agreed. When the Miqo'te behind the counter noticed them, Shev held a finger up and ordered, "Th' usual!"

A curious look was turned on Aeluan and he gave the Miqo'te a winning smile. "Just a glass of milk, please."

Shev shook his head, smiling. "Yer th' only one I know orders milk at a bar..."

[sword-and-surfboard]

FFXIV Site Write #22: Warning

The linkpearl made a soft bing, bing noise as Aeluan waited for the other holder of the 'pearl to answer. He wrinkled his nose a bit, the echoing call strange against his horn.

"Mmph, 'lo?"

"Did I wake you up?"

"Could've given me some warning you'd call so late."

"If I did that, then I'd ask you what I needed then instead of now."

There was a moment of silence on the other end. Then, "You make my head hurt this late at night. What do you need, Aeluan?"

"No pleasantries? I'm wounded."

"I'd need to be more awake for that."

Aeluan chuckled softly and relented on teasing his friend. "Alright, alright. I need your expertise as a gemcutter. I've got a friend who wants a prosthetic eye crafted. I thought if anyone could do it well, it'd be you."

"You know I don't work in glass." From the tone of voice used, it could well have been that he was accused of working with pig shit.

"I was thinking of a gemstone eye. White onyx and sapphire."

"Hm. Is it going to be magicked?"

Aeluan paused, considering. "You know, I don't know the answer to that. How about I get him in touch with you?"

"Sure. But he can't ring me for at least the next eight hours. You and your Kugane time."

"Fair. Besides, I think he's closer to your time than mine. Here's his linkpearl frequency." Aeluan rattled it off. Some 'pearls were just magically connected to one another. Others could be attuned with aetheric frequencies. It made it possible to ring up someone you'd never met before.

"Right, thanks. Tell him he can ring me in the morning. My morning."

"Will do. And Vyth? Thanks."

"You're welcome. I'm going back to sleep now."

"You're the best."

"Good night."

[sword-and-surfboard]

FFXIV Write #16 - Third-rate

FFXIV Write 2024 Master Post

Prompt #16 - Third-rate

Briar tilted his head, watching Aeluan with curious fascination. He wasn't quite sure what the paladin was doing, but it was intriguing to watch the man as he worked. At the moment, the Raen was carefully examining several pieces of wood. He was doing so with such intensity that the vendor selling looked somewhere between baffled and concerned.

"No," Aeluan said finally with a frown. "Not at this price."

The vendor sputtered and animatedly gestured at the wood Aeluan was currently frowning at. "Sir, this is the finest northern pine wood and--"

"It's third-rate at best," Aeluan cut in, polite but firm. "It is full of knots and still needs proper curing. Look." He pressed a nail into the wood, denting it. "Not to mention you can see discolourations from the sun." The paladin folded his arms and lifted his chin. "I'll give you half."

"…Half?" the vendor said, trying to look offended but paling slightly when Aeluan pointed out the wood's imperfections. "It was imported, sir! I would be selling at a loss! Perhaps we can come to an agreement?"

Briar watched in silent interest as Aeluan haggled and countered the vendor, who was doing their very best to make the wood sound exceptional as well as get Aeluan to buy more. It made Briar's head spin a bit, but it was nice to see Aeluan calm, confident, and assured in his stance. Not that the paladin wasn't often a steady presence, but he was clearly in his element at the moment.

At last, the vendor threw up their hands and sighed. "Very well," they groaned. "But my children will starve," they muttered dramatically. "I can have the wood delivered by the evening, sir."

"Thank you," Aeluan said politely, lips twitching in a smile. "Also, you don't have any children."

"Bah," the vendor huffed, taking his coin and waving Aeluan off. "Be gone with you. I have others to sell to!"

Aeluan chuckled and Briar blinked. He looked up at the paladin as he was herded away, glancing over his shoulder at the vendor. "You know him?"

"Oh, quite well," Aeluan said cheerfully, one hand on Briar's back protectively as he kept an eye out on the street. One could never be too careful. "I buy from him often."

"Then why did he try and cheat you?" Briar said with a baffled look.

Aeluan barked a rich laugh. "That? Oh, that's just the game. We always come to a fair price in the end, but getting there is half the fun." He glanced down at Briar, raising a brow. "You don't haggle?"

Briar shook his head in confusion. "No? Why would I ask for more than I want?"

Aeluan blinked and chuckled again. "Oh, dear," he murmured, shaking his head. "Let's talk about that later. For now, how about some lunch?"

Aeluan belongs to @sword-and-surfboard / @valdiis

[sword-and-surfboard]

@gatheredfates, look at this moodboard I did for Aeluan! (I've got a few, so expect 3-4 tags.)

I just saw a moodboard and man I miss when people used to make lots of them.

Maybe you should make a moodboard/aesthetic board for your ocs. And tag me. For science.

[sword-and-surfboard]

#12: Mystery Solved

Prompt: Quarry

Hinan crouched low, watching and waiting. He’d been haunting this spot for a few days, slowing to a creep when he heard shuffling in this particular spot so that he could observe. After all, he had a mystery to solve, and now that he couldn’t go out on jobs for a few days and Rhuk had made him take the day off from The Lucky Fin due to his very unfortunate rear situation, he’d had little to do, and was restless. He’d decided to go to the kitchen and grab a snack, but when he heard the telltale sounds of someone already inside that area, he decided to creep around toward the back and hide near the curtain so he could peek into the kitchen proper.

Slowly, gently, he pulled just enough of the curtain to the side to peek through a slit along the door frame, careful to disturb as little of it as possible. He could see the shadow of a person extending over the tatami, and judging by that shape, it was probably Aeluan. When he stepped into view he had a brown paper bag clutched in his hand and he moved with purpose to the shelf where all of the booze was.

Well, that was odd, because Aeluan didn’t drink; he was the only person that Hinan knew who would go to a bar and order milk. But as the Raen in the kitchen reached for Hinan’s bottle of rum–Hinan’s rum–Hinan tensed in place. A quick, furtive glance around seemed to satisfy Aeluan’s sense that someone might be watching him, and soon enough he was setting it aside on the counter and reaching behind it to pull out a small wrapped parcel. He eyed it for a moment before reaching into the brown paper bag and pulling out another small, wrapped parcel that looked identical in everything but size. The new one was bigger. Hinan narrowed his eyes.

Gotcha.

As Aeluan placed that new parcel up on the shelf and reached to replace Hinan’s rum bottle, Hinan burst in from behind the curtain, his arm extended and finger pointed directly at his older brother.

“CHOCOLATE THIEF!”

Aeluan jumped and nearly dropped his rum, and Hinan cursed himself for not thinking of the timing of his ambush.

“Hinan!” Aeluan exclaimed, frozen in place and staring at him like a deer in the headlamps. “I… ah…”

“Stole my chocolate!” Hinan cut in. “I thought I was going crazy and eat-walking again!”

Eat-walking was something that Hinan had started doing as a teenager, when he was growing all too fast for his metabolism to keep up. He’d had vivid dreams about food, and he would wake up the next day to learn that he’d made entire meals in his sleep, plural, which he’d then eaten all of.  According to Aeluan, they were crazy combinations of ingredients, too, that he wouldn’t have ever thought to put together in any fashion, and had often wondered if Hinan’s stomach was going to revolt. It never had, but sometimes he’d eat-walked and only grabbed snacks, too. The latter instance was what had been plaguing Hinan’s mind lately, and he’d begun to lament that he was now enjoying his chocolate in dreams he couldn’t remember.

“Look, I got a craving,” Aeluan explained, finally putting Hinan’s rum back on the shelf. He turned to face Hinan, and crossed his arms over his chest. “I felt a little bad after I took some, so I decided to buy you some more to replace what I stole.”

Any irritation he’d had at Aeluan for stealing his chocolate in the first place drained away, and he lowered his accusatory hand. “Well, that’s fair, I guess,” he murmured, “but it’s more like borrowing at that point, isn’t it?”

Aelu blinked a couple times before replying, in a completely deadpan voice, “I’m not regurgitating it, so no, it’s not borrowing.”

Hinan made a noise of disgust at that. “Good, I’m not keen on seeing you puke, ever.”

“Well, either way, you have a full bag of chocolates now, those Gridanian ones you like so much.”

“You got me a bag of Glint Truffles!?” Now he was excited, and he maneuvered his way around the counter, bumping his hip on his way by. The sharpening of his aches from his recent injury caused him to stop for a moment, but as soon as he was steady he slapped a hand on Aeluan’s shoulder. “Forgiven. You’re forgiven.”

“Thank you. Wanna share the two that are left in this bag?” He asked, holding up the old bag of chocolate for emphasis.

“Hell yeah, I do!”

((@sword-and-surfboard for mention!))

[sword-and-surfboard]

I love a character raised to be a weapon as much as the next guy. But what really gets me is a character raised to be a shield. Who can’t fathom being needed—or even being wanted— beyond keeping others safe. Who believe they are alive only to insure someone doesn’t die. no matter the cost. Characters who self-sacrifice not because they think they deserve it, but because no one else does deserve it, and it’s their job to protect.

Characters who’ve been told that’s why your important. Your worth something because this other person/ thing is important, and you are here solely to keep them safe.

Bonus points if it’s not a legitimate job they’ve been given. Maybe at one point it was, but now that they are free from it, they haven’t given up that mentality. No one is forcing or asking them to do this, but they need to. They need to in order to be deserving.

[sword-and-surfboard]

#8: The Other Cheek(s)

Prompt: Free Day (Spontaneous)

Every day had become the same routine for Qorin, and they were beginning to weigh on him in a way that he hadn’t felt since his time with the Iriq tribe. These were the days when he questioned whether he’d really made the right decision when he’d begun working as a healer full-time.Sure, he liked the way that helping others made him feel, but there was a certain monotony to the care of the chronically ill and seasonally ailing that left him drained at the end of the day and wishing for more fulfilling work. It wasn’t necessarily that he wanted someone to be injured, but the excitement certainly would be something different.

Perhaps that was why, when he’d been called in the middle of a party he’d been attending, he was more than a little annoyed when his linkpearl had gone off at all. He’d told himself that if it was Melonie trying to call him back into the clinic, he was going to say no.

But it had not been Melonie, and he had not been called to see someone suffering a seasonal illness, or even for an emergency with one of his terminal patients. No; he’d been called by Hinan. Hinan Akaruta. To tend to an injury. On his ass.

Qorin quickly gave his apologies and said his goodbyes, and hurried as well as he could to the Nightingale House, wondering the entire time the circumstances that had to come into play for Hinan to have been bitten in the ass by a jackal in the first place. Why hadn’t he been wearing armor? Even leather was suitable for fending off the worst of it–the worst he could think of was a few pokes if teeth got through, and those would have been easy to treat himself.

He let himself in, knowing full well that the place had an open door policy, and when he called out and didn’t hear anyone respond right away, assumed that Hinan was either in the infirmary waiting for him, which was the smart choice, or his own suite, which was the private one. The infirmary was closer, so he decided to check there first, and sure enough, as he got closer he heard voices coming from the rarely used space.

“Listen, this thing was so big it could’ve easily taken my head clean off in one bite,” Hinan was saying as he entered.

“That’s not real reassurin’,” the other voice–Rhuk–responded, his voice quivering with what Qorin assumed was either worry or laughter.

“Knock, knock,” Qorin said, knocking on the wall next to the curtain. “Are you at least half decent?”

“Ah, if you mean my junk’s visible, it’s not,” Hinan replied. Qorin could hear shaky breathing, and with a bolstering breath of his own, he stepped inside the small treatment room.

The sight that greeted him did not disappoint. Hinan was lying on the treatment bed on his belly, his rear covered by a towel that Rhuk was pressing down against him with both hands.  Hinan’s leather pants were on the floor in a heap. The Xaela winced a bit as he shifted so that he could see Qorin, and Rhuk hung his head with relief. 

“Thanks for comin’,” Hinan said. “I never thought this’d be our evening, but here we are. I was lookin’ forward to making dinner, too, but it looks like we might have to order out.”

“So… what exactly happened?” Qorin asked as he set his examination bag on the bedside table. He motioned for Rhuk to step back, which he dutifully did, and when Qorin pulled the bloody towel off of Hinan’s backside, he paused.

Well, now. He hadn’t expected the bite marks to be on the outsides of both of Hinan’s cheeks. He glanced over at the pants, but he couldn’t see the mess that had been made of those. Judging by the wounds on their owner, though, it was likely that they were unsalvageable. At least they weren’t gushing blood.

“I took a job for a previous client, said a monster was stalking his orchard and had killed a couple of his sheep. I agreed to find it and put it down, so I laid out some bait for it and planned to ambush it–” His words cut off abruptly as Qorin settled his fingertips next to one of the punctures and extended his aethersense to determine the depth of the damage. He could feel the blood slowly seeping from the wounds, but one of the punctures…

“Rhuk, could you grab me some water in a basin?” Qorin asked. “Sorry, please continue.” “On it,” Rhuk said, and disappeared outside the curtain. “Well, turns out it wanted somethin’ bigger to munch on. Because while I was waiting for it to take the bait, it was stalking me instead, and got me right in the ass before I even knew it was there–AH, FUU–” Qorin had grabbed a pair of forceps and dug right into the wound that had felt strange, knowing exactly what he was looking for, and every one of Hinan’s visible muscles tensed. Were it anyone else, he would have warned them, but Hinan had always done better when he wasn’t expecting the pain. Pulling the forceps back carefully, he extracted the source of the strangeness–a piece of a tooth that had broken off that was at least an ilm and a half long.

“That’s done, that’s done,” he reassured as he fished out a small metal tray and deposited the tooth onto it. “You’ll have a trophy when we’re finished. You were saying?”

Rhuk arrived with the water, then, and following behind him was Aeluan, who paused when he opened the curtain. “I heard you yelling and then saw Rhuk–what in the Kami happened, Hinan!?”

“His latest job came back to bite him in the ass,” Qorin said in a deadpan voice without missing a beat, and Rhuk nearly dropped the basin as he started laughing. Qorin quickly steadied him and the basin, both, and then instructed him to keep a tight hold of it. Infusing it with a cleansing spell, he began channeling his aether toward the clean water. It rose from the basin, and then divided into several tendrils of living water, each of which found a different wound to clean, and as he cycled the spell-soaked water through each wound and  back into the basin, Both Rhuk and Aeluan watched with wide eyes.

Hinan had stopped talking, and it was likely from the sensations that Qorin was subjecting him to now probably forcing him to concentrate to avoid punching him, but Qorin wasn’t too fussed about that; he turned his ministrations on the wounds themselves, sinking that same purifying spell into Hinan’s wounds directly, and then beginning the process of reversing the flow of the blood that had been seeping out and redirecting it back into his blood vessels before repairing the damage from the inside out. He’d started with the biggest wound that had had the tooth in it, working his way around to the other cheek, and when he was finished he pulled his fingers away from Hinan’s bare skin. Immediately, the big red Xaela relaxed, and Qorin smiled.

“You’re always so good for me,” Qorin said, and then patted Hinan on the small of the back. “You can put on a new pair of pants now, and I think ordering dinner in is a good idea. You’re going to be tender for a few days.”

As he left the treatment room to wash his hands in the sink nearby, Aeluan spoke again. “Seriously? Nobody brought him pants? I’ll go grab some.”

Hinan murmured something as Aeluan stalked off, and Rhuk burst into laughter, with an exasperated, “Hinan!”

“Coming back in,” Qorin announced, and waited a moment before doing just that. He made a beeline for his bag and dug in one of the outside pockets, pulling out a small pouch, which he opened and pulled out a small lollipop. This he handed over to Hinan, Who took it and immediately unwrapped it with a word of thanks, shoving it into his mouth. Rhuk snickered again at that, coming to Hinan’s bedside and sifting his now clean hands through Hinan’s hair.

“Qorin, let us buy you dinner as thanks,” Rhuk said, his voice still shaking with barely contained mirth. “I was thinking maybe we could get those Nikuman thingies Hinan likes so much.”

Qorin paused, not expecting the offer, and was about to answer when Hinan chimed in.

“Pork buns? Really?”

Rhuk started cackling, and Qorin couldn’t help but join in. He’d honestly been about to decline because he was tired, but he figured the company would be much better than going home to his owl and his thoughts. “I’d love some pork buns,” he offered, and Rhuk laughed harder.

((@briar-ffxiv and @sword-and-surfboard for mentions!))

[sword-and-surfboard]

FFXIV Write #08 - Spontaneous

FFXIV Write 2024 Master Post

Prompt #8 - You Pick - Spontaneous

Note: This is how Briar ends up with some Silkie chickens!

Briar looked around, green eyes wide and fascinated. He couldn't stop turning his head, trying to see everything at once between the beautiful shops, bright colours, and general people flowing around the market stalls. Too busy staring, the half-Elezen didn't notice unevenness in the cobblestones and gasped as he tripped. Pain shot through his right leg where the deep claw marks on his thigh were still healing. For a moment, Briar teetered, trying to catch himself with one weak leg.

"Whoa! Easy!" Aeluan said, reaching out quickly to wrap a thick arm around Briar's slim waist, half-lifting the half-Elezen. "Steady now." After a long moment, he eased Briar back to his feet. "Are you all right?"

Briar turned bright pink and nodded, clearing his throat sheepishly. "Y-yes. S-sorry," he murmured, brushing his hair behind his ears. "I wasn't watching w-where--"

The Raen paladin gave a soothing chuckle, carefully patting Briar's back. "It's okay. New, huh?"

Briar nodded and looked around, ears working and eyes darting. "Yes. It's so..busy and bright." He instinctively moved a little closer to Aeluan as a pair of Roegadyn porters with heavy loads balanced on their shoulders. "I have no idea where to start."

Aeluan laughed and flashed Briar a bright smile. "Well…I guess we start at one end of the market and head toward the other. Let's go, but let me know if you get tired."

Briar nodded obediently, one slim hand clinging a little to Aeluan's loose sleeve for comfort as he followed the Raen forward. While he was careful to stay close as Aeluan had urged, he gradually relaxed into exploring with the other.

As the day passed, Briar got to see beautiful silks and lovely carvings. He got to try a bite of dango, fried treats that he didn't know the name of, and some fruits dipped in honey. They even paused for a few minutes at a shadow puppet show, which fascinated Briar who gasped and stared as much as the children also there.

It was afternoon and Briar was starting to feel tired, but shook his head when Aeluan asked if he was ready to go back. There wasn't much left of the market and he wanted to see it all. This end was mostly various fish and animals for sale. He watched fish with long elegant fins in small bowls and gasped at the sheer mass of huge koi as they lazily circled a large but shallow bowl. He patted a few sheep and cooed over a few young ponies before the sound of familiar peeping caught his attention.

"Oh! Chickens!" Briar said with delight, heading toward a stall that had several baskets and bamboo cages holding various birds, who clucked and peeped. Many of them were quite different from his chickens at home, which were smallish, sleek birds used to foraging and avoiding danger on their own. Some of the chickens were massive with fluffy legs who clucked and regarded him with interest. Some were long-legged and tight-feathered with flowing tails.

"They're so pretty," Briar said with awe, missing Aeluan's look of bemusement. Most probably wouldn't find a handful of chickens so fascinating. "Oh, what are those?"

The half-Elezen was caught by a basket of six or seven little chicks. At a glance, they weren't much different than normal chickens. Then Briar noticed their feathers were strange, almost like fur. With a glance to make sure the vendor didn't mind, he picked up one, admiring the silky soft fluff that didn't have the stiffness regular feathers did. Briar murmured in surprise, now seeing that the chickens had very dark legs and beaks. Even their skin was a deep ebony-black that was nearly blue. "How strange!" He looked up at the vendor, a smiling Hingan woman. "What are they?"

"Chickens!" she said in heavily accented Common.

Briar smiled and nodded. "Oh! Yes, but…what kind? Their feathers are so different."

"Oh!" she laughed and pointed. "Silkie! Silkie chicken!"

Briar hummed in thought and nodded. He could see why they had such a name. Compared to the feathers of other chickens, they were indeed silky soft. He stroked the one in his hands, admiring the soft grey feathers. The others were a mixture of colours: soft golds and creams, a brown one, and one that was pure black. "They're lovely," he said wistfully, gently setting the little chick down.

The little chicken wobbled a moment and then peeped, turning back toward Briar. It tried to get closer, peeping in protest at the basket being in the way. Likely it was just Briar's warm hands the little bird was missing, but the half-Elezen looked a little stricken, reaching for a moment to stroke the chick's back. "Sorry, little one. I have to leave."

Aeluan had watched Briar handling the bird curiously, enjoying his happy fascination and delight. Now, the redhead's ears were tipped down and he looked sadly at the little bird before starting to turn away. In a moment of spontaneity, Aeluan looked at the vendor. "How much?" He gestured toward the basket. "How much for those?"

The vendor smiled, naming a price even as Briar gave a noise of surprise. "Oh! Aeluan, you don't--"

The paladin waved a hand with a smile, paying over the price without complaint. It might have been a little high, but he had plenty of coin to his name. It was worth it to see Briar's ill-hidden joy. "Don't worry about it. We'll find somewhere for them to stay until you can get them home."

Briar could only make a noise of delight as the vendor checked the chicks and then covered the basket, pushing it into his hands. "Yours now," she said quite happily. "They are good chickens, nice chickens. They taste good and have nice eggs," she nodded. "Best chickens to me."

"I--O-oh.." Briar hugged the basket carefully against his chest. Inside, the chicks peeped and rustled, settling into the hay at the bottom. Briar just clutched them and looked up at Aeluan, eyes stinging a bit. "Thank you, Aeluan. They're beautiful."

Aeluan wouldn't have guessed a few chickens could make someone so happy, but Briar's smile gave no doubt that in this case, they very much did.

Aeluan belongs to @valdiis / @sword-and-surfboard

[sword-and-surfboard]

FFXIV Site Write #8: Spontaneous

While Aeluan Hoshinata was quite capable of planning and forethought, it was rare he found cause to use it. He preferred to work off whimsy and desire, to make spontaneous, of-the-moment decisions. It had made him many friends and more than a few business deals. Despite his decision-making processes, others often thought of Aeluan as boring and staid. He preferred to follow rules and do the right thing at all times. His whims were often fairly simple and easy to satisfy. It wasn't like he was regularly choosing the wild path.

As he stood before the okiya door in Kugane and smoothed a hand down his kimono, he thought about how he choose to do things and figured this one might surprise a few people. He had plenty of friends, they would say, so why go to a Companion house looking to make a friend? In his mind, the answer was quite simple: a fresh, new friend wouldn't place the same judgments on him that his established friends had. A fresh, new friend could see him as he was and approach him from the place he was at now instead of where he'd been in the past.

Aeluan hadn't done any research before choosing this okiya. Like the decision itself, he'd picked it based on his desires: he simply liked it. The exterior looked cozy and welcoming, unlike some of the larger and more popular houses in Kugane. Visiting such places wasn't as taboo as it was in the West, where the assumption that one was looking for paid sex was rampant. Here in Kugane, it was just as much about having lovely company to spend time with as it was about baser urges. It probably wouldn't have surprised anyone who knew him to know he was there more for the former than the latter.

Not that Aeluan was a prude by any means - though others often thought so - but he was not driven by his loins. He'd grown out of that phase by several years now. As he regarded the door in front of him, he wondered if this was the type of house which catered to those sorts of people, or if it was more about providing companionship.

Only one way to find out.

He knocked on the door.

[sword-and-surfboard]

FFXIV Site Write #4: Reticent

While Aeluan might be reticent to talk about his new crushes, that didn't stop him from daydreaming about them as he ate his curry and rice. Shev puttered around the kitchen, making something for himself to eat. Aelu tuned him out as he muttered to himself and focused inwards on his memories and daydreams.

It was, perhaps, not the wisest thing to be doing while one's best friend was in the room, but no one ever said Aelu was a wise man.

His memories were quite grand enough. He'd shared a bath with the two lovely courtesans from the okiya in Kugane. He'd been able to see the full glory of form and beauty in the sea-colored Enyo and the golden Takashi. As a man of honor and control, the only things that wandered were his eyes - and then not too much. In his daydreams, though, he could leer as much as he wished. Shared baths in the East were quite common and nudity rarely a cause for fuss. Aeluan wouldn't say he'd been Westernized in that respect, but neither was he completely blind when a vision of loveliness was right there in his face.

He let his mind wander and imagined his hands on those gentle curves and soft planes. They would be so soft, their skin not scarred and roughened by battle like his own. Enyo was the slimmer of the two and Aeluan would fear bruising him like a peach were he not possessed of hands capable of delicate work. Takashi was stronger, more masculine, and quite beautiful in his own right. Bold Takashi would accept the worship of his hands as his due.

Aeluan smiled at the thought.

That's when Shev dropped to the floor next to him on one of the cushions at the low table. "Hydaelyn t' Blue, can ya hear me?"

Aelu startled and fumbled with his utensils.

"Ah, back among th' livin', I see."

The big Raen blew out an annoyed huff. "I was just thinking."

"Tha's what tha' burnin' smell was."

"You're so mean to me."

[sword-and-surfboard]

FFxiv Site Write #1: Steer

((Ah yes, Site Write. That time of year when I fool my followers into thinking this shitpost blog contains FFXIV content.))

The Shirogane manor house was a common gathering place for the monster hunters of Nightingale Company. Sure, everyone had their own places now and they didn't need this home for wayward souls - but somehow folks kept gravitating back to it anyway. Even Aeluan had his own little house on the beach in La Noscea. Although the manor held some bad memories for him now, it held plenty of good too. And it had the easiest access to Arli's cooking.

Aeluan was in the middle of availing himself of some of that cooking - leftovers in the coldbox - when Shev Mhalikh walked into the kitchen.

"If you're looking for the curry," Aeluan said as he closed the oven, "it's going in my belly in ten minutes. You're too late."

"Aww!" Shev groaned. "But Arli's curry!"

"Too. Late."

"I'll wrestle ya for it."

Aeluan gave Shev a squinty eyed look. At one time, he'd have taken that offer in a heartbeat, because even though Shev had been beefy, he was much smaller than Aeluan. That was less so the case now. Add in the tall ears and he actually topped Aelu by a few ilms.

"No deal. I got to it first, it's mine."

Shev crossed his - still beefy - arms across his - just as beefy - chest and pouted. Nevertheless, he watched as Aeluan dug out a bowl and a spoon and a fresh few handfuls of rice to cook on the stove.

Aeluan filled a pot with water and set about cooking rice to put his warmed-up curry on. For a few moments, the two friends stood in the kitchen in companionable silence. Aelu, for his part, was working up his nerve. He had a question. One that had been burning in his breast for days now and he could think of no one else to ask it.

"Hey Shev?" he blurted out as he stirred the rice gently.

"Yeah, Blue?" By this time, Shev was leaning a hip on the counter, arms still folded, as he watched his friend cook.

"You're into polyamory." It was a bald yet true statement. Aeluan didn't see Shev roll his eyes at it. "So. Hypothetically. What would you do if you came across two people already in love who showed interest in you?"

A brow shot up nearly as high as Shev's erect ears. "Tha's not a question I expected from ya. Why d'ya ask?"

Aelu quite studiously did not look up from his rice. "Just curious. What would you do?"

"I don't know," Shev answered honestly. "I've never come across a situation like tha'. Each one's unique."

"I know. Besides, I'm just asking what you'd do. Being a polyamorous person and all."

Shev studied Aeluan for a long moment. "Hypothetically," he deadpanned. He didn't believe it for a second. For his part, Aeluan didn't notice that fact. He was oblivious to Shev's disbelief. He was glad, though, that he didn't have ears like an Elezen to blush and give away his thoughts. Truth be told, the answer was extremely important to him. As his friend suspected, it was not a hypothetical question.

"Mmhm."

"I'd really have to get to know 'em an' see if it was a real interest, y'know?"

Aeluan stopped stirring for a second too long.

"Who'd ya meet?"

And that tell-tale blush that would've shown on ears (if he had them) found purchase on his tanned cheeks instead. "Nobody. It's just hypothetical," Aeluan said as he tried to steer the conversation away from reality.

"Mmhm." A moment of silence passed. "Is this abou' tha' courtesan Kismet mentioned? He said somethin' abou' you takin' a fruit basket somewhere?"

The big Raen made an undignified squeaking noise, like a mouse being trod upon. It sounded a bit like "No!"

Shev chuckled and shook his head. "Talk it out with 'em. Communicate. Tha's the biggest part. Make sure everybody's on th' same page, y'know?"

"But what if they belong together?"

"An' ya think ya wouldn't?"

"Hypothetically."

Shev snorted softly. "It's yer road t' walk, Blue. Ya won't know 'til ya talk it out with 'em."

The little timer next to the oven dinged and Aelu set aside the rice in favor of pulling out the reheated curry pot.

"Are ya sure there's not enough t' share?"

"I've seen how much you eat, Shev!"

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"Nice characters are boring" to YOU. I love characters who no matter what, will always have genuine love for humanity in their heart. Characters who dance and laugh and sing with sincerity. Characters who believe in others, and are willing to extend a helping hand to people when no one gave them the same luxury. Characters who have gone through so much but believe, no matter what, that humanity and life is something beautiful and worth protecting

[sword-and-surfboard]

door — for the single-word drive!

On the whole, Aeluan did not need to sneak around his own manor. Technically, it was the free company's manor, but it was in his name on the paperwork. Who owned the house didn't really matter in that moment, only stealth. He quietly closed his bedroom door behind him and tiptoed down the residential hallway. Next to his brother's door, he paused, head tilted, until he heard the telltale snores from within. Excellent.

He continued creeping through the house, all the way up the stairs to the meeting kitchen. Unlike many houses, the kitchen was on the second floor and the dining room attached was almost more like a cafe than anything. They had a lot of people to keep fed, after all. Careful of the low tables and cushions on the floor, he made his way into the kitchen.

Aetheryte blue eyes sought out the liquor shelf - a direction that would have surprised anyone who knew him. Aeluan was well-known for ordering milk at bars and water instead of wine. Yet his gaze fell on the rum bottle with "Hinan" scrawled on it. Cautiously, he reached up and took the bottle down.

But it wasn't to drink. No, his prize was behind it. A moment of groping blindly produced a package wrapped in white paper. He withdrew the parcel slowly and cradled it to his chest as he replaced the rum bottle with his other hand.

Filled with illicit glee, he took it to the kitchen counter and leaned a hip against it as he unwrapped the paper. He resisted the urge to hiss a little sound of satisfaction. Though he knew Arli would murder him in his sleep if she knew, he reached for one of her knives on the counter anyway and used it to cut a small square off the prize within the paper.

Aeluan brought it to his lips. Took a bite. Bliss. The craving that had awoken him was eased. He finished that square and cut another. And another. On the fourth piece, he heard the smallest scrape of noise on the floor in the cafe. His head shot up.

"Aeluan!" cried Rhuk, the little Miqo'te who should be sleeping in the same room as his brother - seeing as they were dating. "Are you eating Hinan's fudge?!" he accused.

The Raen swallowed as his guilty hand shot behind his back. "No..."

There was a smear of chocolate on his lower lip.

[sword-and-surfboard]

You are very kind! Thank you for the mention - and for the recommendations to other blogs I hadn't known about. <3 I'll have to dig up some of my writing or something so new folks know I do write.

Highlight a FFXIV blog that people might not know about, but that you would like to recommend to others.

Highlight a FFXIV blogger who works hard to bring people together and promote events and activities.

Highlight a FFXIV blog with a really strong and defined theme.

Oooh!

So some blogs some people may not know that I'd recommend to others...

@sword-and-surfboard is the blog space for Aeluan Hoshinata, who is a rather interesting character that I've gotten to see some lore about and be told about briefly! :> Their creator is also a very sweet person, and had a rather sizable helping hand in the Starlight Initiative's efforts within our first ever event that took place that I'll always be grateful for!

There's also @naejlas-axe, a blog space for Lejo of Wolt! I'm so vested in Lejo whenever I get to see bits and pieces shared with us. Whether they're through asks, GPoses, or otherwise! Seeing some of his thought processes and how he approaches certain things has been a treat in how the writing is executed.

A fellow Estinien shipper, there's @amalthea-felsblood, who often takes a number of really nice GPoses that go together with some storytelling, or were inspired by lyrics or passages from what I can remember. And, it looks like they joined some of us in being lizard! :9

There are a couple bloggers I know that work pretty hard to bring people together and make sure that there are a number of events and activities get promoted. Of course, there's @gatheredfates with their compendium born from the love of seeing communities thrive and grow. I also know and have seen how much effort that @sasslett puts into maintaining the XIV Swap Discord, and how much people love the friends and community they have built there.

As for a strong and defined theme...this one is certainly the head scratcher for me. My brain goes, "story themes? Aesthetic themes?" If we're going with story themes, I lean toward @ahollowgrave, who has this theme of death within their writing and characters -- and certainly not as a bad thing. Death is simply inherent -- not something to shy away from, but something to be at peace with. Or at least have understanding of. At least, that has been my perception from what I can remember -- both snippets in what I've read, and images that I've seen.

Aesthetic themes, I lean toward @airis-ray and @icehearts. Both have an eye for matching glamours and coming up with things that look absolutely fabulous on their characters. Color coordination and styling is just very on point from the both of them.

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Rise & Shine Beauty

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Aeluan as an NPC

Nobody tagged me or anything, but I wanted to play along...

Aeluan as a romance-able NPC:

Aeluan as a quest-giver:

And Aeluan as a final boss:

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