#its just. tough when someone posts literally every single day in a discord server

[dragonsongmakhali]

My kingdom for more gpose time 😫

[ladyswillmart]

Arlen Facts: Week 1

These were taken from an Alphabet meme that was making the rounds a while back, where one has to come up with some character backstory related to each word, starting with a different letter of the alphabet. I actually did finish all 26 entries on a Discord server by posting one roughly every day, and for brevity’s sake, I’ve decided to post them in more conveniently-sized chunks here.

I can’t find a link to the original meme, but if I find it again, I’ll post it in one of the upcoming entries!

So without further ado, here’s Week 1: A (Alignment) through G (Grudge).

Today's Meme (8/1) Alignment :: What would be their D&D alignment? How might it come into play?

Arlen's alignment is Neutral Good, which is a bit vanilla of him, but I suppose there are worse things to be. Actually, he's very chill about this (and most things in his life, when you think about it). It has already come into play throughout his wanderings as a "Gentleman’s Cousin of Light", but it would seem that we're dealing with a world that does not always have clear distinctions between good and evil; as such, the consequences of Arlen's choices have yet to be fully fleshed.

Having said that, Arlen is not so bound to One True Path that he is unwilling to take responsibility for said choices, or question the forces guiding his hands. He is, to his credit, aware that he is involved in something he does not understand very well. However, he always strives to act with fairness and compassion.

Today's Meme (8/2) Beverage :: What do they most like to drink, and why?

Arlen--not being terribly particular anyway--has become accustomed to a life on the move. Therefore, his taste in beverages veers towards the simple, easy to prepare and perhaps most importantly, whatever he can dredge out of the icebox. A canteen of Thanalan black tea or coffee is simple enough to prepare before embarking on a day trip, to which he may add a pinch of sugar or a squeeze of lemon or orange juice (again, depending on whatever he can dredge out of the icebox that isn't chunky or furry or gaining sentience). Despite this, a close source (Tataru) informs us that Arlen's most favorite beverage is fresh-pressed mirror apple juice, served ice cold with a slice of lemon and a cocktail umbrella.

Signature Drink: Incidentally, Arlen's birth flower (for May 27th) is the lemon blossom. However, his signature drink, Coronal Spring Hat (non-alcoholic)  is something more akin to a toffed-up lemon spider: A healthy sphere of vanilla ice cream (served in a cosmopolitan glass) is covered about 3/4ths to the top in lemon squash. The remaining ice cream surface is decorated with a swirl of strawberry syrup, colorful agar-agar candy shavings and edible flowers.

Today's Meme (8/3) Co-Habitate :: Do they live with anyone? What’s “need to know” before moving in?

Arlen lives by himself (save for his 50 snails, 10 toads and 1 chocobo) at:

The Sultana's Breath Apartments Room #44 The Goblet, Ward 2 Western Thanalan

His suite is small and moggled, but could nevertheless support one more resident (even a non-mollusc one). Still, any discussion regarding the matter of cohabitation yet remains firmly in the arena of wholesome dreaming.

As for the Need-to-Know, Arlen likes to keep things tidy and smell-free. He's only willing to clean up after you if he likes you (granted, you really have to work hard to get Arlen to dislike you), and his pet peeves are toast crumbs in the butter, mildew, windowsill scum and little slivers of soap getting stuck to the dish (though the latter three aren't really anyone's fault). Despite being somewhat of a space cadet, Arlen sticks to a regular schedule of chores. He visits the Goblet Launderette once a week, dusts every other day (if possible) and cleans out the snail tank on weekends.

Today's Meme (8/4) Decor :: What kind of home do they keep? Are there any defining details?

As written earlier, Arlen maintains a tidy, but rather modest apartment dwelling in suburban Ul'dah. Though the space is small--and at times, slightly trying (and dusty)--Arlen has surrounded himself with decor done in a style evocative of the charming Moghome of the Churning Mists, featuring whimsical moggle-themed furniture, wallpaper and meadow green accents. His choice of furniture is practical and need-based; as Arlen is fortunate enough to have his own workshop space in Vesper Bay, he keeps Home at home and Work at work. That means his space is welcoming and warm, and not at all cluttered with boxes of metal bits, clock parts, assorted cogs, geegaws, gadgets, half-eaten candy bars from the Garlond Ironworks vending machine, coffee cups, oil rags or sat-upon Garlond goggles in need of recalibration and repair.

Except, of course, when it is.

Lately, Arlen's home appears to be filling with greenery, as he continues to receive flowers from well-wishers, benefactors (mysterious or just the regular kind) and gentleman callers with wholesome intentions.

Today's Meme (8/5) Escape :: What do they do to destress? How successful is it?

Though one may not expect such a thing from Arlen--with regards to his generally mild-mannered demeanor--but when he begins feeling grungy and stressed from the day-to-day, the exceptional days and the just-plum-terrible days (which seem to be numbering somewhat higher than usual), his favorite way to unwind is to dance.

Allegedly, the lad learned the very basics of the Terpsichorean arts from one magical teenage summer spent as a pit pianist at The Mermaid's Garter, Limsa Lominsa's oldest and raunchiest dinner show/burlesque. Little pitchers have big... eyes, in this case, and Arlen saw it all and absorbed it like a cheap beer mat: The box step, the grapevine, the kick-ball change, the bee's knees, the kitten's ankles, the Lominsan hornpipe, the Gridanian jig, the Garlean slipped disc, the shim-sham, the boogaloo, the mashed popoto, the nitty-gritty, the bump, the hustle, the magitek slide... And rumor has it he won a boobie bouncing contest at the tender age of 15 (the boobies being purely hypothetical--it's all in the shoulders, you understand).

Happily, he has found an enthusiastic and talented partner with Tataru Taru; when things are getting especially grinchy at the Rising Stones (or wherever else things get grinchy), the two will clear a space, fire up the Orchestrion and cut a rug or two. The endorphin rush is a perk that can't be denied, but at the very least, they always manage to lighten the mood.

Today's Meme (8/6) Fluff :: What hits their soft spot? Does anything melt them into emotional goo?

What? You mean besides the moggles?

Arlen is generally a sentimental person, and he isn't afraid to show it. Despite the reputation he seems to have accumulated for himself over the past several weeks, Arlen doesn't so much have a soft spot as he is a soft spot on the planet--a fact that actually stokes a surprising amount of rage from (at least) one extremely specific subset of the population. In particular, he is moved by tales of selflessness and good deeds, especially when performed by unexpected parties, as well as any display of the Power of Friendship.

Also, he has been known to shed a tear or two at family-centered melodrama--tales of parents, siblings, long-lost children, even when he has no relation whatsoever to any parties involved. Several witnesses also watched the lad weep joyously as he harvested a single Dzemael tomato from a pot at the Rising Stones: "That little tomato gave its all," he said, trembling while fat tears rolled down his cheeks. "Even while all its brothers and sisters shriveled on the vine 'cos the soil type was all wrong and there's not enough light in here and nutkins kept nibblin' on it like it was going out of style. Aye. But I never stopped believing. Oh, I'll make it into a worthy mixed green salad, I will."

And he did, one which also drew much emotion from the first bite to the last scritch of the fork against the dish. Then again, enjoying the fruit of one's labor--even literally--tends to tenderize even the hardest of hearts.

Lastly, as a passing word of advice: Do not even mention the tale of "The Little Lost Sabotender" in earshot of Arlen Askew, unless one has a tissue or handkerchief or square of toilet roll to spare.

Today's Meme (8/7) Grudge :: How bad does an insult go over? Do they hold a grudge long?

Arlen Askew is one Mellow Fellow, which means that even if you sling your grodiest glob of mud in his general direction, it'll either roll off his back or go whizzing clean over his head. He is the type to forgive and forget, though, and he may be, at times, forgiving to a fault. He can be too soft on those who would benefit from tough love, and because people know this, Arlen may occasionally moonlight as a doormat, particularly when the plaintiff is someone he's a bit afraid of (e.g. Rowena, Jessie... Uh... That's about it, actually).

Our Arlen is not one to hold a grudge, even when the list of transgressions and trespasses against him recalls crimes beyond compare: Attempted murder, betrayal, theft, assault, imprisonment, copying off his engineering exams, trampling his flower beds, calling him a “smellf”, etc. Instead, he favors the rather optimistic belief that justice will prevail in some way, even if he ends up being the one delivering it.

"No hard feelings, of course," he adds, shrugging.