melodiesofkupo | [open video, 4/20 squeaky voice]

[ The screen blips on to Hunk, reclined across a couch. Balmogra the moogle's pom-pom occasionally drifts into the top of the frame, and Hunk's eyes keep glancing towards it. As he starts talking, he's entirely oblivious to the fact that his voice is high-pitched and squeaky. ]

Hey, so with other people asking about things like our stories, our worlds, and our jobs, I realized that we don't actually know a lot about what we can all do! Like... I learned that some people have never been grocery shopping before! Or some can't cook! Or some people don't know how technology here works. Since we're all stuck here, we might as well try to help each other out, right? So what are some things you know or want to know?

Me, I know about cooking and engineering and mechanics. But I don't know anything about magic. Or how to defend yourself from a monster that's up close and trying to eat you. Or how to use a giant fork in a fight? Or why they use forks here to begin with.

[ He pauses for a moment, looking almost uncomfortable, and then- ]

And if you're embarrassed to say something you can't do, you can always send it to me and I'll mention it for you!

( This is super open and threadjacking is possible and totally okay! )

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

It's more popular out east on Othard, but it's growin' in popularity. Mostly we eat some eastern treats and watch little performances - Starlight is a bigger deal for us, really.

Oooh, treats are fun. What's Starlight all about? [ He smiles, and shoots her a cheeky look. ] It's about the sun, isn't it? Bountiful harvests?

[ He's aggressively sarcastic, and chuckles at his own remark. Because Hunk wouldn't be surprised if he was right- holidays can be weird. ]

Actually, It's a midwinter celeberation out of Ishgard.

The story goes that during some old war, there were gaggles of children left orphaned on the streets during the coldest week of the year. A cadre of Ishgardian Knights would spirit them inside their barracks in the dead of night, so that they might have a warm fire to sleep by and shelter from the elements. This was very much not allowed, so the Knights would conceal the children within their own red jackets that they might escape detection when coming and going from the barracks.

Some moons later, the fighting ceased and the weather grew warmer and so the nightly ritual stopped, but years later, the selfsame orphans, now grown, banded together to honour the Knights that showed them such kindness. During the coldest weeks of the year, they'd don red jackets similar to the Knights, and passed out small gifts to the children of Ishgard to pay forward the cheer and tell the story of the kind Knights!

And that's where Starlight comes from. Or so I'm told.

[Congrats Hunk, it's christmas.]

Oh, that is heartwarming. [ He's smiling, and there might even be hints of tears in his eyes. ] Was... was it ever okay for the Ishgardian Knights to do things like that to help the cold little orphans?

[ He'd hoped so, since a holiday coming from it had to have changed the rules. ] What, uh... what's starlight gotta do with it? I think I missed something.

Are ye mad? Hells no! Ishgard's Knights have their own swords stuck so far up their--Well. Ser Aymeric is enacting some reforms, so we'll see.

The name comes from the starlit nights that the Knights would shelter the children during. Back in th' day, Ishgard wasn't overcast and snowin' round the clock.

So it started snowing and the knights didn't get any more charitable? [ He pouts, clearly annoyed by the revelation. He has no idea what those knights are even protecting, if not their people. ]

Ishgard sounds like a pretty bad place.

It's...

Ishgard's changin'. It'll take a while yet, but it's changin' for the good.

[ Castor seems like she has some pretty strong opinions about this place. About what's wrong with it, about the brighter future. It gets him wondering. ]

Was Ishgard where you grew up?

Nah. Spent my girlhood in Thanalan. S' all desert and scrub and sun down there. Has its own set o' troubles but at least it's warm.

I jes...I spent a good deal o' time in Ishgard of late. It's grown close to my heart in a lot of ways.

How'd you end up in Ishgard, then? [ He chuckles, because while she seems to like it? ] You make it sound like the cold was miserable for you.

Was it work or something? [ He has to assume she had a job. Most people do. ]

Y-ye. That's a way to put it. [ She seems visibly uncomfortable with the question. ] I uh...I had a friend there and was in dire need of a favour.

[ Hunk kinda felt bad seeing Castor uncomfortable- it doesn't seem normal for her. So he's going to get her back into her comfort zone, or at least try. ]

Well, it sounds like it worked out. [ He shrugs, dismissive even. ] Deserts and snow are all great, but what's the coolest place you've been to? [ And then he grins, proud of himself for the subject change. ] It sounds like you've seen a bit of your world.

A bit. Most of a continent, at any rate, and a little more of a second. There's much an' more left to see.

Most interestin' place I've seen though, hmm.

[ She seems to be mulling over her answer. ]

Got a few answers. Ruins of the ol' Sharlayan colony city. Azys Lla. Hells, the whole of the Azim Steppe was quite an adventure all on it's own.

[ She had to think about it, and she's still listing like two places? Must have been a pretty world. ]

Wait, was... Assez Luh [ He didn't quite catch that pronunciation the first time around because he was distracted by "more than one continent." He tried to replicate what he heard, and can only shrug sheepishly at the attempt. ] part of the Azim Steppe? Or are they separate?

[ And then he nods expectantly. ] And what's so cool about 'em?

A whole world away from eachother. The Steppe is just... it's so far removed from what I was used to, ye know? Different way of life, different struggles. I learned a lot from the people o' the Steppe, but I wasn't there near long enough. There's sommat like fifty and one clans around there and I only met a handful of 'em.

Azys Lla though. [Her face darkens a little as she considers.] It...it's a series o' floatin' islands, that've been up airborne since at least the Third Astral Era. The weather 'round it's been warped by all the aether it sheds stayin' up there. It's...I don' like it much there. Too much I don't understand.

(( two threads closing out into PUNCH PRACTICE, and this one's at 16 tags for both of them! ayyy regains.

Assuming they just spend a while talkin' about pretty places in Eorzea and Hunk maybe talks about a few pretty places in space. much thank for the flexibility, pal! ))

[open video, 4/20 squeaky voice] | Skill Sharing!

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