#i want these eels MINCED!!!!!!!! >:(

[merakiui]

i'm deleting this game.

[basuralindo]

!!!! I'm in a ranting mood, but not a very articulate one, about Floyd/Jamil. Bear with me.

Like, obviously I love Jamil and Azul, but I can't believe how much everyone overlooks Floyd?

Jamil actually tolerates him, which is actually A Lot coming from Jamil. And he isn't just politely neutral, he's one of the very few people Jamil actually speaks to normally, and the very very few that he talks to normally without being overtly hostile.

Jamil is one of the only people who can manage Floyd's temperament without trying to suppress him. Like he's shown to work with Floyd's moods, and negotiate mutually beneficial solutions that Floyd actually agrees with, and all upfront. Jamil doesn't get scared and try to mince around him, Floyd doesn't get irritated and try to intimidate Jamil, and for the most part Jamil doesn't try to quietly manipulate him. Jamil also doesn't have to fight with him to behave, and Floyd doesn't back out because he's lost interest. For the way they both tend to operate around people, that all strikes me as mutual respect.

While he's usually not as aggressive about it as Azul, Floyd also shows an interest in Jamil. He specifically wanted to hang around Jamil in book 4. He was also impressed with Jamil's skills. He pays attention to Jamil's talents and interests and tries to engage with him on shared interests like dancing. He seeks out or positively reacts to Jamil in group settings. He actually seems to like interacting with Jamil on equal terms, rather than wanting to torment him for entertainment.

During the Halloween event, when preparing to enter the mirror, he was the only one to encourage Jamil to give it his all, and singled out Jamil specifically. (also Jamil teasingly telling him not to screw around, and Floyd reacting positively? does he do that with anyone outside of Jade and Azul??)

He nicknamed Jamil after an animal that preys on moray eels, and uses the -san suffix rather than -chan. Both of which implies taking him seriously.

The entire beans event??? This was set early on, before book 4, so they didn't have much rapport. But Floyd's entire thing was centered around Jamil. The only person he willingly came out of hiding to engage with was Jamil, specifically because he found him interesting, and he chose to help him out despite being on opposite sides, again because he was interesting. He said several times that he found the whole event boring, except for the opportunity to fight Jamil, which became his primary motivation for participating (aside from learning Vil's throw, which was his motivation for sticking with them instead of running off to hunt Jamil alone). He literally told Jamil to his face that he was "the best part" of the whole event. He refused to quit even after the event was over because he wanted to keep fighting Jamil, and for Floyd, that implies a positive opinion towards someone.

His beans vignette further elaborates that his entire motivation for sticking with basketball was to compete with Jamil. Even staying up for several days in a row to do nothing but practice in order to get on his level.

For Floyd, there's nothing he values more in a person than being interesting. There's nothing he respects more than competence. And he's blatantly stated that Jamil has both. He doesn't care for people who are intimidated by him and he doesn't tolerate people trying to boss him around, and he seems to genuinely enjoy Jamil, who does neither. I honestly haven't seen him show as much complex interest in any other character in the game (like beyond picking a fight or tryna get a rise out of them).

For Jamil, it's extremely rare for him to drop cold formalities and speak with anyone casually, but he does so with Floyd to a greater extent than most. Even if he doesn't seek Floyd out, considering he doesn't tend to seek anyone out, the fact that he'll engage when Floyd approaches him instead of trying to escape the conversation speaks volumes in my opinion. He also doesn't seem to overlook Floyd's intellect. He gets shocked by the extent of his abilities sometimes, but he never seems surprised that Floyd's intelligent, and Jamil doesn't usually think much of other people's intelligence. And so far Floyd's the only one who's gotten him to dance just for fun (one of the few independent passions he has), and he's managed it twice. Floyd brings out passion in him.

Just, they're both so othered in very different ways. Jamil keeps everyone at a distance, and is intentionally uninteresting enough that nobody seeks him out unless they want something. Floyd doesn't bother with anyone who doesn't entertain him, and either scares or frustrates most people so much that they avoid him as much as possible. But they seem to respect and understand each other, even if they don't drop their walls, because neither find the walls to be that big an obstacle.

There's just something really valuable to me about two such extremely overlooked/misunderstood people managing to see and understand each other so easily.

[wheredidalltheusersgo]

What are your fav ships!😁

ok that's a tough one because I'll ship nearly anything (Minus the illegal ships)

but I gotta say....

bridgeoff Nowen Justowen Alecody Aleduncan Malejandro Heatherra BAWN!!!! Bethsay Scuncan Chazipper Zemma Lyler Gweoff raynebow tyleoff Spudrock Daddon Careulia (My friend's oc x canon ship) Breoff geowen Aletyler Zayne (Started liking it bc of a dream) Danpher Jo and literally any girl Crimsennui Alelightning (Electric eel) Jacques x nobody because I want to turn him into minced meat (I take screenshots of him everytime he's on screen) Aleowen

[raitrolling]

its time for the yearly 12th perigee present post (yeah i know its still christmas eve in other timezones im Impatient)

nancor gifted gliese some sunflowers in a cool gothic-style vase since he thought she'd appreciate the contrast, as well as some dark chocolate

dismas gifted maidel a really rare and difficult to find video game that she mentioned wanting to play once. he may have also blackmailed everyone who tried to bid on it on the online auction website he found it on to ensure that he was able to get it at a good price

callan gifted gerrel those clawed gardening gloves because he thought they were funny and also useful (and the pair he bought are in his shade of green, the most fashionable colour out there of course), and some seed packets so he can grow all the veggies he needs to put on a pizza. which callan totally doesn't want to taste test

ashell gifted cheran a couple books, as well as a set of inks and brushes that he thought cheran could use for his anatomical sketches (which he bought from jikiro's company lmao). he gifted jikiro a little hamper filled with different types of berries and some fancy glass jars because he read that they can be used to make ink as well as be eaten, as well as a box of chocolate truffles and a cute tanuki print stationery set because he got anxious that his initial gift idea wasn't good enough lmao

velour made jamie a couple button-up shirts, one covered in subtle star patterns that show off different constellations, and another that has an embroidered kookaburra peeking out of the shirt pocket. he also made a couple bow ties as well, which he says when he's feeling better he'll enchant so the fabric is a bit more interesting. he also made socks and gloves for jikiro and kana, ji's pair being black with classy striped accents in all his quadrant's colours, while kana's pair are patterned to look like tanuki paws

mikiel was a bit unoriginal and gifted both lyvere and thrixe cookbooks, but he did make sure to buy them books based on whatever cuisine they're currently most interested in

lusien gifted anirus a really nice and expensive bottle of scotch (the kind that you only want to drink on special occasions) as well as a fresh batch of homemade jams and preserved foods they can keep on their ship without worrying about them spoiling too quickly

sharle gifted jamie books on how to speak italian, french, and monegasque (remarking that it took him hours to find the last one) since he knows that jamie was trying to learn those languages. he also gifted tira a limited edition snapback (because he collects them), gave quinne a fishing rod (because she mentioned that she likes catching fish but didn't own a rod), and ropikk a bottle of very expensive perfume (because he googled 'gifts for women')

viltau gifted jikiro some custom-tailored silk pyjamas decorated with a regal japanese maple design, a matching silk robe, and would treat him to a candlelit dinner... provided that ji can solve the scavenger hunt vil has prepared for him first. kitaer also gets send on a scavenger hunt, but his reward is the bodies belonging to the perpetrators of a crime kitaer was trying to solve. and also a traditional 12th perigee pudding and some homemade mince pies, because he is capable of catering to his kismesis' lack of a sweet tooth sometimes. viltau's employees also got a big bonus of extra cash and some gift cards

glasya gifted mikail another new plant for his apartment, and will take him out on a trip to the beach so they can go look at the rock pools together and then get a nice dinner at a beachfront restaurant. they also made bags of candies for all their friends using thematically appropriate candy moulds

vallis gifted epsilo a life-sized moray eel plushie, while zanzul and tuuya were gifted starfish and sea snail plushies respectively

linnae went out and picked some pretty wildflowers and ingredients to make potions with for arctus, and also gave a couple wildflowers to his other friends as well

everyone else also gave gifts to their quadrants / close friends but i couldn't think of something specific because i'm braindead. imagine a really cool gift here for every ship (romantic or platonic) i missed

[weerentheworld]

Nikko Senhime Monogatari is absolutely the nicest stay I’ve booked on this trip. Just look at this room!

There’s both an onsen, and because I wanted to see how it compares I’ve paid a little extra to get a room with a private bath. (more on that later).

You are able to pick out a Yukata to wear around the hotel.

Dinner is on the later side, so I have time to visit the onsen and the onsite gift shop before dinner.

Like many ryokan, the dinners are complex.

I’ve got a private room to eat in, and there are multiple courses.

- Cocktail (i trade this for a soda)

- Assorted appetizer of early winter

- Clear soup of minced duck cake & turnip

- Assorted Sashimi with yuba

- Senhime style hot pot of TOCHIGI WAGYU brand beef

- Taro & lotus-root gratin

- Simmered yuba & Ebi-imo in seasoned broth

- Steamed scallop dressed with grated apple cider vinegar

- Steamed rice & eel in a wood steamer

- Pickled vegetables

- Miso soup

- Dessert (tea, some kind of fruit-jelly thing, brownie, coffee ice cream, and a pudding of some sort)

Some of the dishes have special cooking times, so the wait staff comes in at intervals to light cookers etc.

As it was I’m not sure what order I ate some of the food in, but it was all tasty & for sure a unique experience. 

After dinner I try the private bath

I’m sorry to tell any tattooed readers it really wasn’t the same as an onsen/did not measure up at all.

At the end of the day, it felt far more like a bath than an onsen. I think part of this was due to having to sit and fill it whereas an onsen/bathhouse you can just enter the water.

Part of the disappointment may have been unique to this bath; it had a number of rules which were covered very quickly & were not written down anywhere (even in Japanese) so it was a little overwhelming to use. It also had some privacy concerns- while in the bath on the balcony I’m sure I was obstructed from view, but when I stood up I was overlooking the car park + a road behind the hotel in a way that seemed far too visible & thus made for some interesting towel antics while getting in/out of the tub. I’d also wanted this private onsen largely so I could look out over the mountain while bathing, but either I could leave the windows shut and see nothing due to steam or leave them open & risk the above privacy concerns.

That said I could see the mountain (brown as it was) which was not true in the main onsen. (at least once the sun was up.)

I also was able to get a few photos of the water in the tub (not allowed in the main onsen for obvious reasons) & spend some time playing a game while bathing which was a unique experience compared to other onesen. (Mink’s night market)

While I was at dinner, the staff transformed the room for sleeping, laying out the futon.

[quieteating]

New Post has been published on Quieteating

New Post has been published on https://is.gd/Knc8CL

Jin Kichi

At times, my friends call me a moaner.

At times, they are right.

One particular thing I like to constantly complain about, is the lack of decent Japanese food in London.  I’m not talking about Itsu and Wasabi or even Wagamama.  That’s fake Japanese which is something to offend as much as drinking beer out of wine glasses.  When people ask me why it disgusts my sensibilities so, I fall back to the time tested remark, it just isn’t something that is done.

So if you want to try some real Japanese food in London, you have something of a quandary at hand.  On account of it being either obscenely hard to get in (Sushi Testsu), or just unashamedly not pretending to be that authentic (but thankfully still good (Temaki).  There is of course the stalwart I like, Kiku, although inflation is pushing that price up a bit too much (50% is kind of a lot).  Then there is the place which has a bit too much excitement and a rather rude owner (Jugemu) but much as I like the food there, I do prefer a certain modicum of service.  So in leafy, rather pleasant and much too expensive Hampstead, is a small Japanese restaurant staffed by native staff.

Tori kara, seasoned and sliced chicken, deep fried in batter served with Ponzu sauce.  This was rather crispy, oil free and nicely complemented by the ponzu sauce.  If I could level some criticism, it would be that the meat wasn’t as juicy as I would have preferred, as I suspect they didn’t use leg meat for this.  No matter, it still made me happy.

Shiso maki, grilled skewer of shiso leaf and pork rolls with Teriyaki sauce.  Alright, if fairly nondescript.  Minced pork balls wrapped in a spiced leaf, although the shiso just wasn’t strong enough to make a noticeable difference.

Tsukune, grilled skewer of chicken meatballs with Yakitori sauce.  Crispy on the outside, meltingly delicious inside.  Something to try again.

Negitoro, Chopped Fatty Tuna with Yellow Pickled roll.  Meaty and filling, you could also be forgiven for thinking this was some type of minced meat.  Instead, clear deep tuna flavour shone through.

Take, today’s 10 piece chef’s selection.  Flounder, tuna, salmon, fish roe, prawn, mackerel, octopus, yellow tail, red snapper, squid.  Great, even if I have had better elsewhere.  What let this down was the temperature control.  The fish and the rice seemed to be rather warm where as I prefer a slightly more chilled sushi to highlight the taste of the seafood set off with vinegar rice.

Yakinasu, grilled aubergine with Bonito flakes.  Here, I demonstrate one my many failings.  An example of not getting what I wanted.  Although an accurate description, I had thought (and hoped) that this would be similar to the grilled aubergine with miso paste I’ve had on top.  This instead was lacking the heavier flavouring we sought.  On the plus side, the texture was good.

Gyutan, grilled skewer of ox tongue with salt.  I do not know why more places do not offer this.  It was deliciously chewy and bursting with umami. Of the many off cuts I would eat in yakitori joints back in Japan, ox tongue and chicken heart were my favourites.  Although, I didn’t see the latter on the menu.

Gindara, grilled black cod marinated in white miso served with ginger.  They had gone a little too easy on the miso here, as the taste was not as deep as I expected and preferred.  It was decent though.  Then again, perhaps it is my fault for having this previously at western Japanese joints, which tend to slather the cod perhaps overzealously.

Buta Shouga, pan-fried sliced pork with ginger sauce and spicy Miso served from hot pan.  Great with caramelized onion as you got caramelized miso and rather addictive as you picked up the small onions in which all the pork juice had coagulated.

Una Kyu, grilled eel with cucumber and sesame roll.  In my desperate search for eel in London, I couldn’t resist this when I saw it on the menu.  I would often dream of this, as during my first residency in Japan, a kind friend treated me to unagi.  That Changed My Life.  This poor eel did not do that justice.  Instead, wrapped up in rice, it was rather sadly done as it seemed that being wrapped up in rice made the eel strangely bouncy and robbed it of its flavour.

Yama Gobo, pickled mountain burdock with sesame.  Crunchy and refreshing.  A fitting way to finish this off.

Green tea.  To complement the above, between bites, I washed things down with some green tea.  A apt refreshing cleanser.

I have recently been reminded of the sandwich method of feedback.  Otherwise known by its more rude moniker, the s*** sandwich.  So I guess the same can be applied to my critique.  The majority of the dishes were good, clearly of better standard than most other places in London for Japanese food, the atmosphere slightly cramped but authentic in that way, but the spark of something excellent was missing.  Not that the food was bad, by and by it was better than decent, but it missed that next step in evolution to make it something special.  However, at this price, life is too short and I have other places to try instead, especially given the trek it took to get here.  However, if I could afford to live around this area, I would probably be returning a more than healthy amount.

  A quiet eating 8/10.

Dinner (all of the above for 2 people) was GBP80 per person excluding drinks and service.

  Jin Kichi

73 Heath St, London NW3 6UG

[sealie-seolh]

The Crow’s Nest

“Tik, tikk, tik, tik,” Nicolò encouraged as he offered minced up worm to a fluffy chick wrapped in an old blanket by the cottage’s fire.

“Habibi?” Yusuf sighed into his palms. He had only been away for three nights, and Nicolò had managed to adopt a baby crow of all things.

“Yusuf!” Nicolò glowed, but he continued to feed the fluffy scrap.

Mentally, Yusuf shrugged, knowing that they had a new companion for the next twenty odd years of their stretched lives.

“How was your trip?” Nicolò asked.

“I passed Andromache’s papers to Marlowe. He knew of their content before I gave them to him.” Yusuf shrugged. “I do not know what he will make of the information.”  

“He will make of it what he will,” Nicolò’ said, phlegmatically.

“And who do we have here?” Yusuf crouched beside his love.

“I am not naming him,” Nicolò declared.

Oh? That was different.

“I took him from the terrible children living in the croft by the river. They told me that they found him in that woody copse by the old farm,” Nicolò said. “I suspect that they stole him from the nest when the parents were collecting food for their nestling. I will return him in the morning.”

Outside the windows, the night was as black as the crow’s wings.

“Will we be up all night feeding the babe?” Yusuf asked, knowing both his love and learning from a parade of rescued animals over many years.

“Yes. I will welcome you home, properly, my love, when we have returned the baby.” Nicolò raised his face, and Yusuf had to kiss him.

The rapacious hunger of a growing passerine crow or raptor demanded feeding at every strike of the bell. Looking after a nestling was a labour of love or the dedication of a master falconer. Nicolò embodied both, and Yusuf was his willing partner.

“Do you need more worms minced or shall I find us an old chicken from the coop?” such was the language of love.    

Yusuf cradled the nestling in the blanket as Nicolò stalked ahead of him scanning trees, up and down, left and right.

He spotted the nest almost instantly. Yusuf followed Nicolò’s gaze up to the large nest tucked in the spindly branches high above them.

“Uhm, it is good that we’re immortal,” Yusuf said. “I don’t think that those branches are going to support our weight. Falling. Inevitable.”

The nest was perfectly situated to look over the farmers’ fields around the woodland. A crow, screeching angrily, perched beside the nest. Ready to protect, on alert, previously disturbed.

“Why do they like to nest so high up?” Nicolò asked rhetorically.

Yusuf handed the chick over. “I’ll go back home and get the ladder.”

“And some ropes.”

“And some ropes.”

                               ~*~

Yusuf returned with the ladder, somewhat delayed by Widow Soli, who had wanted to chat and find out why such a nice boy had a ladder and rope. Saving a baby crow had made her wander off shaking her head at their idiocy. Boys.

Nicolò was, as he expected, half way up the tree, sitting in the vee where the main trunk forked. The nestling was tucked in his hood, pecking furiously at Nicolò’s long braid, squalling for food. Two crows circled the tree, cawing furiously.

Yusuf didn’t vacillate, he set the ladder against the trunk and shimmied up.

“Tesoro.” Nicolò offered a stabilising hand.

“Are there other chicks in the nest?” Yusuf asked, as he hauled the rick-rack ladder up behind them.

“One, I think?”

They might then have a better chance of the crows taking the baby back, Yusuf supposed. If there had been four, mother and father may have purposely thrown the baby from the nest, saving effort and food for the strongest nestlings.

“Illya was not cast out,” Nicolò read his mind—and he had named the crowling. “He would have likely been injured from the fall. Those dreadful urchins stole him.”

Indeed, above them the bark was scuffed and branches broken, leaves torn by small feet and hands: climbing.

Yusuf got the base of the ladder wedged where the main two branches bifurcated. Nicolò eeled around him, helping angle and prop the ladder in and on the tangle of branches and twigs up toward the nest. Yusuf would hold and Nicolò would climb.

“This will be fun,” Nicolò proclaimed.

Caw!

“Climb, Nicolò, before we lose an eye or worse.”

Yusuf braced the ladder as Nicolò slowly scaled each rung. He used the tangle of branches on either side to stabilise his climb rather than putting all of his weight on the rickety ladder. The larger crow settled just above the intricate twiggy cup of the nest, and cocked its head to the side, watching.

“I am returning your baby,” Nicolò said lowly.

Yusuf imagined a baleful red cast to the demon bird’s eye. He remembered many battles with such birds feasting on the aftermath of carnage.

Nicolò reached the near top of the ladder. Yusuf strained to hold the unwieldy weight steady, feet braced on stouter branches, muscles screaming.

“Hurry, my love.”

Nicolò scooped Illya out of his hood, and with the utmost gentleness placed the baby into the nest.

“Be well, and thrive, Illya.”

The mother bird swooped low, snatching a tuft of hair from the side of Nicolò’s head. He swore, but didn’t flinch, so as not to knock the nest from the tree. Blood ran down the side of his head, coating his ear and glistening. There was an ominous creak.

The ladder under Yusuf’s hands juddered.

“Nicolò!”

He jumped, removing his weight from the ladder so that the branch didn’t break and threaten the nest. Like a cat he dropped, slapping branches as he plummeted, slowing his fall. He fell the last few feet into the soft mulch below.

“Nicolò!” Yusuf hung out of the tree.

Nicolò lay on his back in his own nest of broken twigs and leaves. “I am well, Hayati.”

Yusuf dropped the ladder on him, as a matter of principle.

                               ~*~

Yusuf lay content, cradled in Nicolò’s arms. They had saved a baby bird. He was peculiarly satisfied by the day’s actions. A simple act. Nicolò was radiant; happy. They had eaten a humble dinner, a stew of lentils and dried fruit, with hearty, buttered bread. Before a gently glowing fire, they read the next chapter of their book by candlelight, turning pages together. Yusuf always ahead of Nicolò—waiting patiently for Nicolò to stroke his finger, signalling: Onwards, my love.

Tap. Tap.

Yusuf craned his head around. Nicolò was already untangling himself from their blanket nest.

“Nicolò,” Yusuf whined. “You’re letting in the cold. It was the wind, rattling the glass.”

“I’m just checking, Yusuf.” Nicolò pecked a kiss on the top of his head.

Nicolò pushed his beaky nose against one of the panes of sugar glass in the window, and squinted outside. His eyesight might be unparalleled but Nicolò was not going to be able to see anything in the pitch black darkness. He cracked open the window letting in a sudden, icy stab of air.

“Nico!”

“Sshh,” Nicolò soothed, closing the window just as quickly.

Yusuf lifted the blankets, letting Nicolò bury in next to him. He could have sworn that Nicolò was chilled in the heartbeats it had taken him to check that they were safe. But Yusuf knew that he enjoyed dramatics.

“What was it?” Yusuf asked. “What did you see?”

Nicolò held up a rosy, luminescent stone in the firelight.  

“What?” Yusuf plucked it from his fingers. It was cool to the touch.

“River quartz,” Nicolò said. “Left on the window sill.”

“How?”

“I think,” Nicolò said, snuggling in, “our new friends have left us a thank you gift.”

fin

[themonotonysyndrome]

The Holy Quintet in Twisted Wonderland! (all 7 dorms - Part 2)

Now we have Kyouko’s reaction to the other dorms! Sorry that it took a whole weekend to edit this.  

Hope you guys enjoyed it!

-

Sakura Kyouko & the other dorms (except Savanaclaw)

HEARTSLABYUL!

Bless Sayaka for warning Kyouko in advance about the many, many rules of the Heartslabyul dorm. Riddle’s collar would probably latch on her if the redhead girl walk into the dorm lounge, screaming for Sayaka. 

Now, before she was introduced to the seniors of Heartslabyul, Kyouko got to know Ace and Deuce. She easily got along with the two boys since they’re always around Sayaka. It didn’t take long before their trio to become a four member group and they can often be seen goofing off around campus and trouble usually follow after them. 

Kyouko loves going along Ace’s crazy plans. After they accidentally destroy a shelf full of potions in the Alchemy lab, Ace immediately suggest they burn down the lab so Divus won’t find out that it was them. Kyouko was ready to use her Soul Gem as a flamethrower if it weren’t for Deuce and Sayaka.

(Expect Kyouko and Ace to be detention buddies, often)

Deuce treats Kyouko just how his Mama raised him to treat any other girls! Though once in a while, he couldn’t help but drop a cauldron on her whenever she and Ace are up to no good. Luckily he and Sayaka are the ‘chiller’ of the duo.

Trey and Cater got to know Kyouko properly only after Riddle’s overblot episode (she wasn’t with them when Sayaka went all out trying to ‘save’ their Dorm Leader). After the ordeal, the two of them were very grateful that Kyouko was no where near Heartslabyul when it happened). Trey is relief that Kyouko took Riddle’s light chatises over how she eats and etc without a fuss, sometimes she would even tease him back. A good thing that Riddle is now more acceptable to friendly affections and interactions from others. Sometimes if Trey is working in the kitchen and Kyouko swings by at Heartslabyul, she’s his food tester and helps out with the more heavy labour when it comes to cooking. Kyouko loves it!

Now, she’s not very big on the whole social media thing so by right, she shouldn’t have anything in common with Cater. But I can see that she loves music apart from food. So learning that Cater is the guitarist and vocalist for the Light Music club got her really interested. She wonders if she can learn to play musical instruments too. As for Cater, well, he’s more than happy to teach her how to play the guitar (even encouraging her to join his club) and they tend to take selfies together.  

Seeing that Kyouko is genuine and serious about the Light Music club hurried him to introduce her to Kalim and Lilia. Kalim is more than happy to teach Kyouko what he knows too and Lilia always wanted to know more about Madoka’s friends. 

The result? Apparently joining the Light Music club is the first step for Kyouko to actually enjoy being a student for once in her life.  

OCTAVINELLE!

Listen, no one could’ve predicted how Kyouko would got herself entangled with the mermafias and the whole Octavinelle dorm, alright? 

See, while Kyouko just got out from the cafeteria - her arm holding a paper bag filled with food for herself, Ruggie and Jack back at their dorm - she caught a flash of pink walking by. Oh look, there’s Madoka! Alone and walking to meet up with Silver or Sebek, maybe. It’s so odd to see Madoka alone ever since they came to TW. 

Anyway, poor girl was completely oblivious to a 191CM tall boy rushing towards her with a maniacal girl, arms wide open.  

Kyouko is a more of ‘beat’em-now-and-think-later’ sort of girl. So please forgive her that the moment she intercepted the eel boy, her spear was already drawn out and proceeded to smacked him away - violently - like a baseball bat. Poor Floyd got the wind absolutely knocked out of him as he crashed to the Main Street. 

“What were you planning to do to Madoka, hah!?” 

Floyd could only whistle despite the pain flaring on his torso. So one of these pretty girls is super feisty, eh? He’s gonna have so much fun squeezing her!

Let’s just say the two got into a brawl that nearly destroyed the Main Street if it weren’t for Azul and Leona actually coming over and putting a stop to it. 

(Leona doesn’t appreciate having to interfere in someone’s else fight, not when their Brawler could give Floyd a run for his madols, but he really had to pulled Kyouko away before Savanaclaw gets in trouble with the headmaster)

(Azul actually can’t believe there’s someone that could beat his tanker. He thought that the other girls would be like Homura and Madoka; cautious yet gentle. Clearly these girls are an odd bunch! He would need to carefully reevaluate his plans involving them now)  

From that fight onwards, the two are constantly trying to beat the other once and for all. Floyd is living the life; finally a fun prey! For once, he needed to get creative. Squeezing doesn’t do much, not when Kyouko is just as strong and she could easily stab him with a turn of her large spear. She could dish out whatever attack his ‘Bind the Heart’ retaliate and quick on her feet against his elemental spells. 

Kyouko finds Floyd a crazy yet seriously strong student. She has no idea what his problem is, but no way in hell will she back down or show that he unnerved her. Seriously, there’s something wrong with that guy and it’s not just his mood swings. The whole mermafia trio is creepy. 

Jade wonders if his twin’s obsession with the Savanaclaw Brawler will end badly. Oh well, since the outcome is still murky, he’s fully planning to enjoy the show.

Jade will smirk whenever Kyouko scrutinised him. Clearly expecting him to behave like Floyd since they’re twins and all. It’s cute how he knew she wants to prod and poke him just to see if he’ll lose his composure and Jade appreciates that she holds herself back every time. 

While Floyd went on a very direct approach to ‘befriending’ Kyouko, Jade is a subtle and nothing but polite. Enticing her with the menus of Mostro Lounge, the colourful drinks they served and sweeten his offers with a promise that Floyd won’t try to pick a fight with her if she dines at their café. 

(Kyouko eventually caves in on the offer. Won’t you be too if Jade promise to cook you something?) 

Azul wishes there’s some way he could properly learn about these girls apart from observing them in classes or their interactions with their dorm mates. After that fight at the Main Street, he underestimates just how much of a threat these girls can be. Especially Kyouko. Fortunately, Jade told him all about his offers and practically everyone in college knows about her love of food so Azul just had to wait. 

The third Magical Girl to visit Monstro Lounge after Homura and Madoka’s tense dining experience is Kyouko. Azul is surprise to find her alone. He expects at least one of her friend to accompanied her. 

Nevertheless, Azul is quick to muster up his gentleman-like behaviour and silver tongue to try and charm the redhead girl. Or at least get her to trust him a little. Throughout her visit in the café, Kyouko hardly complain about his treatment. 

It’s only after she paid that she gets down to it. In a complete 180 turn, she asks Azul why he’s taking her for an idiot. That stumped the Dorm Leader of Octavinelle. 

Kyouko didn’t bother to minced words; she told him that prior coming to TW, she lives on the street; never having a home. So she sees a lot of... unsavoury people who try to take advantage of a young girl like her. How the conmen with their honeyed words and parental-like sympathy would want to ‘help’ her. Kyouko knows very well what would happen to naive girls living on the streets. They won’t last a night. 

And Azul? Azul is no different from those men the moment he smiled at her. Her words sting the octo-mer more than he would ever admit once Kyouko storms out of Mostro Lounge. 

The Leech Twins are even more fascinated by Kyouko now while Azul and Kyouko barely acknowledged each other’s existence. 

Kyouko has not step into the cafe ever since. 

SCARABIA!

As a favour that she was willing to do for Homura, Kyouko in the end decide to cash it in when it comes to school work. Those History and Summoning classes are tough! 

Since the aloof Magical Girl never invite any of the girls to her dorm, Kyouko decided to invite herself, unanounced. She always wanted to know what a dorm in a desert would look like. The sand soon irritates her after a while. 

The students all directed Kyouko to a spot in the lounge that they all unofficially dub as Homura’s comfort space. Underneath a tapestry of a beautiful queen famous for her thousand stories, there’s Homura in her little nest. 

Kyouko really doesn’t like Homura’s know-it-all attitude but for the sake of her homework, she grits her teeth as Homura explains again for certain subjects. The other students of Scarabia know not to disturb the girls. (words about Kyouko and Floyd’s fight quickly spread throughout college. So seeing her frustrated expression over her books were enough to drive away the Scarabia students).  

Except for Kalim, of course. 

The moment he and Jalim returned to Scarabia and a passing student mentioned that Homura has a guest, Kalim scurries off to meet up with them. Jamil follows after him in an exasperated pace. 

Having gotten used to Kalim’s random, cheerful outbursts, Homura went with the flow as the Dorm Leader introduce himself and let Kyouko talk with him. Seeing that the two were studying, Jamil suggest rather than throwing a feast for Kyouko, why not they study together and Jamil can cook something quick for them to snacked on. That got Kalim and Kyouko on board. 

With Kalim and Jamil between them, Kyouko and Homura kept their snark to a minimum level, to the point that Homura would actually smirk when Kyouko regale them of her misadventure with Ace, Deuce and Sayaka. Not long after, Kyouko begrudgingly throw a compliment about Homura, telling the two boys that although she might be stuck-up, Homura does know her stuff.  

(Perhaps there’s hope for these two girls)

Kalim totally vibes with Kyouko. He loves how spunky, confident and funny she is! He loves her quick hugs whenever they meet up and always accepts an apple from her. If Kyouko loves to eat, then Kalim can’t wait to cook for her. The next time he throws a party, Kyouko would be one of his guest of honour for sure!

The first time Jamil saw Kyouko sparring with her dorm mates, she instantly reminds him of a scorpion. How she would thrust her spears from behind and he watched as the weapon retracted and pull back so smoothly. Fast and brutal, it fits her. 

Compare to Homura, Jamil is internally grateful that Kyouko is such an open book. There’s no hidden meaning underneath her words, no need to feel like he’s squeezing blood out of a stone just to know something about her. As long as she’s not a threat to Kalim, Jamil honestly doesn’t care all that much about Kyouko.

Jamil is so used to cooking for a bunch of people at a drop of a hat because of Kalim and so he’s not too annoyed having to cook for Kyouko whenever she visits Scarabia. 

Jamil is also aware that Kyouko and their Scarabia Raven doesn’t have a good relationship but that’s none of his business.  

POMEFIORE!

If Heartslabyul was the first dorm that Kyouko is hesitant to visit, Pomefiore is the second. 

Unfortunately, Mami wasn’t feeling well that day and it’s up to Kyouko to send over her school notes since they shared most of their classes together. 

The moment she steps through the mirror and standing in front of the entrance of Pomefiore, she felt like a prey getting ready to be ambushed. 

The pretty boys of Pomefiore whispers how glossy her red hair is; what product does she use? Do you think she’ll share the brand with them? Look at how powerful and confident her posture is, yet you can still see her feminine curves hold nothing back! Some wonders what her beauty and skincare routine are to be able to look so beautiful despite being a student from that roughhousing Savanaclaw. 

Kyouko couldn’t help but shiver, her skin crawls when she heard the whispers. The boys are very eager to show her around their dorm but Kyouko awkwardly interrupted them. She’s just here to see Mami to pass her notes! Their insistent to help her out in every little thing creeps her out!

Her saviour came in the form of Epel Felmier. He remembers how awkward he felt after the sorting ceremony when the other Pomefiore students all crowd around him, praising him for his looks. So without hesitation, he slide in and loudly explain that Mami send him to pick her up. Kyouko is grateful for his intervention. 

You can bet Kyouko feel something like a bull in a fine china shop the moment they head to Mami’s bedroom. Everything look so shiny... and expensive!

Kyouko help recap what she could remember in class to Mami when she pass along her notes before telling that she doesn’t believe Mami could get sick. Since they became Magical Girls, they rarely became ill. Mami assured her that she overworked herself a little, trying to keep up with classes and training Madoka and Sayaka. 

(Yes, Vil had fussed over her when Mami told him this. He gave her a list that she must follow so she could resume her classes soon.)

In a rare gesture of thoughtfulness, Kyouko offer to take over their trainning while Mami rest up. This makes Mami very happy and when she express it, Kyouko scratch her head and look away, muttering that it’s only right. 

When she left Mami’s bedroom, Kyouko throws an apple to Epel as thanks for helping her out earlier. This startles the boy and it sparks their friendship. He promises to teach Kyouko how to carved apples when they hang out next time. 

Now, Kyouko likes to playfully tease Epel when he told her that he wanted to be sorted into Savanaclaw and that he wanted to grow some muscle. For all her teasings, she does invite him to her and Jack’s work out sessions. It makes him happy so why not? Just don’t tell Vil.  

Since Kyouko very rarely visit Pomefiore, Vil and Rook heard of her through Epel and Mami. Vil and her doesn’t see eye-to-eye due to their personalities being on the opposite end of the spectrum. Kyouko absolutely have no patience to be groomed or lecture by Vil and whenever he sees her arm-wrestling with the other boys, Vil just shook his head at the lost of such beauty.

It’s a shame, Vil thinks. Kyouko is beautiful in a way that a ruby with a powerful fire inside is, but she’s just too... all over the place to even listen on how to put on a concealer properly. 

Rooks finds her fiery spirit and compassion to her friends beautiful. Like a female warrior from Afterglow Savanna. It doesn’t let him down when Kyouko couldn’t appreciate him reciting a poetry that he wrote for her. At least the girl was kind enough to wait until he was finish before running off. 

(Rook heard of the infamous brawl at the Main Street, too. Despite not being a beastmen, perhaps Kyouko is worthy of a hunt!)  

IGNIHYDE!

Honestly, Kyouko actually forgot there’s seven dorms instead of six here at NRC. It’s not her fault that it totally slips her mind that Ignihyde exist! She hardly sees any students from that dorm around campus!

According to Ruggie, they’re the odd, shut-in types that rather spend their time with their techs than people. So a dorm full of shut-in nerds in Kyouko’s opinion. 

Her opinion on Ignihyde changes when she spotted this tiny, blue robotic thing flitting around the college. The moment she spotted Ortho, her interest and attention is immediately on him. 

At first, Kyouko doesn’t know what to make of him as he follows Ortho around curiously. Is he a toy? Some high-tech butler? Who made it? 

(Kyouko is no Rook. So Ortho is actually aware that there’s someone been tailing him for a while now, but he lets Kyouko do what she wants, thinking they’re playing some sort of game) 

In the end, Kyouko just laugh sheepishly when Ortho confront her, asking what game are they playing? She admits that she has never seen anything like him before back home. 

Ortho, off course, wasted no time telling the Magical Girl that his big brother made him, how cool he is, maybe they could all play together and etc. The more Kyouko got to know Ortho, the longer she sense that this boy actually has a soul! This is not a robot, it’s a living person!

Utterly fascinate now (plus Ortho thoroughly charm her with how much he talks about his older brother. Heh, her little sister used to bragged about Kyouko to her little friends too...)

Kyouko and Ortho become friends and despite how rough she can be, she always make sure to treat the boy gently. She won’t admit it, but she loves babysitting him and Cheka, bringing them around campus to play. Sometimes, when she sits on the bench and watch them pick flowers near the garden of Pomefiore, she could see her little sister playing amongst them too. 

Idia doesn’t really know all that much about Kyouko other than what he could find from his cameras and the bare-bone information from Homura. She’s strong. She often hangs out with those two boys from Heartslabyul and their Knight. She also possess one hell of an appetite. 

So the moment Ortho burst into his bedroom, shouting about befriending the redhead girl, Idia has somewhat mixed feeling about their friendship. 1 - he worries that she would accidentally hurt him (Ortho doesn’t exactly have sturdy frames to withstand the strength of a Savanaclaw student). 2 - he doesn’t think he could handle having another pretty girl hanging around their dorm without wanting to crawl under his bedsheets forever. 

He actually let out a relief sigh when Ortho told him that Kyouko won’t barged into Ignihyde if it makes him uncomfortable, but he hopes that Idia could play with them sometimes. 

Idia promises that he will try to spend some time with them after Ortho told him how gentle Kyouko treats him and Cheka. How attentive she is to their presence despite looking bored. 

In the end, Kyouko finds the Shroud brothers alright in her books. Idia might be the nerdiest of the bunch with a sweetheart of a little brother but she can respect a dude rocking out flames for hair. 

(Idia probably self-combut if he knows that Kyouko thinks he’s cool for a nerd)     

DIASOMNIA!

After she became a Savanaclaw student, Jack had onced told her that there’s beef between their dorm against Diasomnia. Something about how Diasomnia always beat them during the college’s inter-dorm tournament, yada yada yada. If those students from Diasomnia wanna spar sometime then she’s more than happy to kick their asses. 

While walking back to her bedroom, she overheard a tense argument between Sebek and Jack that it suddenly became a point of the two challenging on another. 

So an impromptu fight between the first year Savanaclaw and Diasomnia students are scheduled at the stadium on a Saturday night. No one really knows how the first year students kept the event hush-hush from the seniors or teachers but they managed to. 

When the day arrive, most of the first year students from every dorm came to watch the fight. 

Kyouko & Jack VS Sebek (& some random Diasomnia NPC). Madoka came as well but she doesn’t want to fight unless she absolutely has too and no one in Diasomnia has the heart to push their gentle Fairy. 

The fight was brutal as the rounds went on into the night. Heartslabyul students cheer for their friends while having picnics on the bleachers, Scarabia students are trying to use Astrology to predict the winners while working along with the Octavinelle students who are running the bets, some Pomefiore students complain at how barbaric and unnecessary violent these fights are but stick around to take selfies with their friends and a couple of extrovert Ignihyde students are livestreaming the entire thing and doing commentary. 

Homura, Sayaka and Mami are seated around Madoka. Sayaka cheer for Kyouko, of course. 

When it comes to her fight against Sebek with Jack beside her, she just told him that she’ll handle the nameless Diasomnia NPC and detached her spear to attack. 

It was amazing! Kyouko live for the rush and adrenaline of the fight! Looks like they were right - those Diasomnia folks are really strong! But other than strengths, can they keep up with her? 

Kyouko knocked the nameless Diasomnia NPC out of the ring just in time to see Sebek raised his Magic Pen to call forth his lightnings. She cast a ward-like dome on Jack. When the smoke cleared, her ward remain standing. 

“Sakura-san...”

“I get it, I get it. Beat his ass, Jack. I’ll cover for ya”

It’s almost easy, really. Jack and Sebek are evenly match and Kyouko kept her promise, only lingering away from the fight. 

Funny enough, in the end, neither dorm wins when the collision of Jack’s fireball and Sebek’s lightning ray knock them both out of the ring. Even still, the audience cheer and instead of going back to their respective dorms, they actually gathered around and have a mini-party. Even the Pomefiore students were having fun.   

With good food and drinks, the tension between Diasomnia and Savanaclaw disappear eventually. At least for tonight. 

(the headmaster blows it when it was reported that the stadium is totally trashed. After that, news about that fight spread because of the livestreams. As punishment, the Savanaclaw and Diasomnia are tasked to fix the stadium. Much to the surprise of Leona and Malleus who were supervising the whole thing, their dorm mates are laughing and playfully shoving each other on the shoulders as they fix around the field.)

Malleus caught Sebek furiously practising with his sword and magic in the training hall of their dorm one day, his knight flustered and explain how masterful Kyouko wields her spear. He caught her deftly strike away every clash of the sword from the nameless NPC without breaking a sweat. It also infuriates Sebek that after knocking her opponent out of the battle, she easily snap her fingers and cast multiple powerful spells to shield Jack from his more deadly attacks. 

The way how Kyouko wield her magic and weapon simultaneously without exerting herself had Sebek begrudgingly respect her. 

When Madoka invited Malleus to her and Kyouko’s ice-cream trip, Malleus learn a little more about the Savanaclaw Brawler. She’s blunt, brash and doesn’t seem to be put off by him which is good. Though she completely steam-rolled his brooding murmurs. She admits that she doesn’t understand his fascination with gargoyles, but assures him that if they make him happy, then by all means, talk away! 

Lilia find the fire of youths’ as well as their bout of recklessness refreshing. They make him feel younger. When he spotted how Kyouko’s charisma boost Madoka’s courage and confidence little by little, Lilia likens Kyouko to a fire that not only burn enemies to ash but is also a hearth that warms one’s home. At least for these young girls. 

Like the rest of the students in NRC, Lilia has heard and seen the fight online. Kyouko’s battle was certainly impressive! In fact, it’s a good idea to have Sebek and Silver expand their sparring opponents so they could learn a thing or two. Especially from these girls. 

Silver finds the whole secret fight pointless, but since Sebek felt so passionate at the time and it’s be done with, there’s nothing else he could add. He agrees with Lilia; it’d be nice if he could clash his sword against Kyouko’s spear. He finds the weapon’s ability to attached and detached at will fascinating. How does it work? What is its range? How big can Kyouko make them? How many can she summon them at once?  

Kyouko agreed to spar with them sometimes if they paid her in food. Silver and Sebek hurried to stop Lilia from rushing to the kitchen when they heard her offer. Although Lilia pouts, the Vice Dorm Leader can easily fulfil their end of the bargain. So whenever they finish sparring, they would all sit down and munch on snacks and drinks.

After sparring for a couple of times, Kyouko finds that Sebek is actually alright. He’s just so loud and can be so passionate when it comes to Malleus. Cue teasing from Kyouko and trying to make Sebek blush whenever they hang out together. As for Silver, well, Kyouko wishes she has his ability to nap whenever and wherever without a care. Lilia is hard for Kyouko to figured out (just like Jade), but she does know that Lilia is genuine with his friendliness so she appreciates that. 

All in all, the Diasomnia boys are the morbid sort of weirdness in Kyouko’s opnion, but pretty chill for the most powerful dorm of NRC.

And beside, it’s pretty funny to see them running around their dorm trying to figure out how to do their laundries or where their Dorm Leader is.         

-

Alright, that’s a wrap for Kyouko’s part! Sorry again for the delay. This was supposed to be out in the weekend. 

[purplesurveys]

429

England Do you like to drink tea? I only drink iced tea and only the artificial kind, so I don’t think that even counts as tea. My tongue never did adapt well to traditional ones. Do you like to put sugar in your tea? I like my iced tea super sweet if that counts. Have you ever explored an ancient castle? No but it would be interesting to enter one! If you're a Christian, are you Catholic or Protestant? I was baptized and still legally Catholic. Philippines is predominantly Catholic, with 80% of the population; I don’t how the % of Protestants, but it’s definitely a much smaller bit of the pie since the rest of the religions are divided into different Christian denominations, then Islam. Do you live in a big house? It’s definitely bigger than my childhood home, so that’s more than enough.

Are there a lot of seagulls where you live? I don’t think seagulls fly over to this side of the world? Correct me if I’m wrong though. Do you have a garden? Only a very small one. Name something you own with the British flag on it. Probs an old UK-themed notebook lying around, but I’m not sure if I still even have those or if they already got thrown out. What's your favorite part of London? I dunno. London always seemed like such a hectic city for me and I’ve never really had an idea about its identity. If you've been to England, what was your favorite city you've visited? If applicable, what is/was your favorite store in London? I’m not sure I know any London-based stores. Have you ever been lost in London? Nope. Would you say your personality is British? Do you think you'd fit in there? I’d say my personality is the furthest thing from that since I’ve never been submerged in their local culture. I don’t know if I would fit in; a lot of them seem pretty short-tempered lmao. Do you have English ancestors, or are you from England? I’m positively -60% English. Ireland What is one of your favorite celtic songs? I don’t know anything about Irish history/culture other than Becky Lynch, Sheamus, and Niall Horan. I’m laying that out this early. Do you have red hair? Absolutely not. Are you Irish? No Irish blood in my system at all.

Name 5 redheads that you know. Becky Lynch x2.5, Sheamus x2.5 lmao. Who in your family is/was a redhead? Nobody. If you've been to Ireland, what was your favorite city you visited? I haven’t been to Ireland but I would rather take a trip there than to London definitely. Did you have any bad experiences in Ireland? Do you celebrate St. Patrick's Day? No but Western social media shoves it in my face every year. I have no idea what it’s about other than they turn the Chicago River green. Do you like Irish food? I don’t know much about their food actually :o I don’t think there are places that serve it. What's one thing you like about ancient cathedrals? The fact that millions of lives with different experiences, all in different contexts have come and gone within them. Do you like rolling hills of green? ...I don’t know what you’re talking about. Are you just talking about hills? Because yes, hills are fine with me lmao. Do you like bagpipes? No. All this question gave me was the image of Ross Geller playing them on a Friends episode because he wanted to surprise Chandler and Monica on their wedding. If you're Irish, what part of Ireland is your family from? Do you like English accents or Irish accents better? I like both but I find English ones a wee bit more satisfying to listen to. China What is your Chinese zodiac sign? Tiger. ^Do you like it? Do you feel it fits your personality? I don’t give a shit about it. Do you like your American zodiac sign or Chinese zodiac sign better? I don’t give a shit about either, either. Do you like Chinese food? LOOOOOOOVE good ol’ family-style Chinese food. None of that fake Chinese takeout. List three of your favorite Chinese foods. Minced pork with eggplant, century eggs, spring rolls. Are you familiar with the topic of footbinding? I do. We were taught about it from very early on. What are your favorite books about the Chinese? I don’t really read books about the Chinese. I’ve read readings on Chinese history in high school and college–which I all enjoyed–but I’m not passionate about them enough to pick a favorite. Do you know anyone Chinese? I know a lot of them. Philippines has a very large Chinese Filipino/Filipino Chinese community thanks to their mass migrations way way back–they’ve since heavily integrated their native culture to the country, so we have a lot of Chinese restaurants and Filipinos typically love Chinese food, and we also (by law) celebrate Chinese New Year. There are also a lot of private schools established for kids of Chinese descent. Who is your favorite Chinese youtuber? I don’t have any. Have you ever cooked Chinese food at home? Not me because I don’t cook. My grandma and my dad have. Are you familiar with the Great Chinese Famine? Only a bit. Do you wish your school would teach you about other countries' history? It already does! UP’s very fortunate to have a very well-endowed history department: there are courses for West, East, Southeast, and South Asian, Latin American, United States, European, Spanish, and African history. We ain’t the top school in the country for nothing. Would you ever want to go to China? I already have. The old people there are SO rude and their sense of hygiene and manners is so different from what we have :( I’d still want to go back just for shits and giggles but their people are generally meh. Do you have any Chinese in your family? We do but they aren’t related to us anymore. The relatives who are Chinese are those who married into our family, but my family per se isn’t Chinese. Japan Do you like sushi? I’m fucking craaaaaaaazy about sushi. And sashimi.  ^If so, what are your favorite kinds? Any kind as long as the main part is tuna, unagi (eel), or uni (sea urchin).  What is your favorite manga series? I don’t read manga. Do you love Japanese street fashion? I appreciate it, but it’s too...hip for me hahaha. I’d stick to my preppy wardrobe. What color hair would you have as an anime character? Light pink maybe. Are you aware of the struggles of Japanese Americans during World War 2? Admittedly, not so sure about the situation of Japanese-Americans; but in general, the Japanese were unnecessarily big fucking bullies throughout WWII. They don’t even have the balls to say sorry completely until today. As a Filipino (PH was one of the countries it essentially raped head to toe), this continues to make me angry today. What is your favorite Japanese name? I don’t have. Do you like bonsai trees? They’re cool but I’m not like gaga over them. What's one thing you think Americans should adopt from the Japanese? Intelligence? Have you ever listened to Jpop? No. Do you like Hello Kitty? No. But my sister loves everything Sanrio. What is something you want to know about the Japanese? Why they can’t seem to apologize for their war crimes and criminals and and sex slavery and using of comfort women and cases of rape, torture, and abuse in my country. Do you know anyone who's Japanese? Yeah, I had a classmate from last sem whose last name was Mizushima and looked Japanese. Would you ever want to go to Japan? I already have. The people were very nice. Australia Do you have blonde hair? No trace of blonde anywhere on me.

Do you live near a beach? I live in an archipelago, so technically yes. The nearest beaches are still 3 hours away though. Do you surf? Nah. We’ve been to so many beach resorts that offer basic surfing lessons, but ultimately it’s only my dad, mom, and sister who try it out. I have bad balance so I was always too scared to try. Who is your favorite Australian youtuber? I like Jamie Zhu, but only the videos of him pranking his dad. I haven’t seen any of his other material. Do you watch The Norris Nuts? Never even heard of it. Who is your favorite Australian fictional character? I don’t know a lot of Australian characters other than Hi-5!!! Lmao. What is your favorite song by Hillsong? Fuck no. Have you ever tried to surf? See a few questions above. Do you skateboard? Nope. I can’t balance well other than on the ice skating rink. Have you ever been on an island? I live on an island. Do you live on an island? Yes. A country with 7,641 islands. Do you like Australian accents or British accents better? British ones. Have you ever heard the term, "Crikey, mate!" No...I’ve only ever heard of it stereotyped in the media, too. Is there any Australian here who can confirm if people say this everyday lol Have you ever met anyone from Australia? I probably have but my memory is rusty at the moment. Africa Do you know anyone from Africa? Yeah, I have a mutual friend who’s Nigerian.

Are you familiar with the War on Sudan? A little. I got most of my knowledge of it from my international relations class. Do you own an Invisible Children shirt? I don’t. Have you been to Africa? No, but I want to pay a visit so bad. What's your favorite wild animal? Elephants. Do you prefer dancing or drumming? Neither, but if I absolutely had to pick: drumming. Do you have good rhythm? Not at all. Would you ever want to go to Africa? Yes. What is a great African song? I don’t know any. Have you ever tried African dancing? Nope. Do you own any African jewelry? I don’t. Ever danced to "Waka Waka"? I never did like that song. No. What's the furthest you've ever walked in one day? Probably that time we were in Bali and felt like we walked for 7 days. It was soooooooo humid that day so I was really cranky after. Do you live in a mud hut? No. Mexico List 3 of your favorite Mexican foods. I’m not big on Mexican food that much so I’m sorry if my picks are a little basic haha. I like chimichangas, burritos, and nachos. List 3 Mexican names you like. Ines, Luis, Antonio. List 3 people you know who are Mexican. I only know wrestlers...Eddie Guerrero, Chavo Guerrero, Gory Guerrero? Aka members of the best Mexican wrestling family there ever is, was, and ever will be. Have you ever been to Mexico? I haven’t. Would you ever want to go to Mexico? I would love to go to every possible spot in the world at least once, so it’s a yes for me.   Do you think you could handle being around people all the time? ...How is this related to Mexico lmao? Anyway no I don’t think I can. I’m a huge introvert so I’m bound to get tired some time. Do you like spicy food? I love it but only when the spicy factor is integral to the food, like in curries or in spicy dips. I can always tell if spiciness is artificial. How do you do with crowds? I’m alright with crowds as long as people are not screaming all at the same time and if it’s not super compressed. Is it hot where you live? Very hot at the moment. There are places in the country with actual heat indices of 65ºC. HOW IS THAT REAL LIFE????? Do you like bright colors? I hate them so much. Can you speak Spanish? No but I can understand the contexts of some sentences and have what I’d say is an extensive Spanish vocabulary. Makes sense if you consider the fact that the Philippine was under Spain for 333 years. The effects, especially language- and religion-wise, are still very very strong today. Have you ever been to a fiesta? Yup. I was once part of a parade. Ever smacked a pinata? Nah we never used those for my birthdays. What's your favorite thing to order at Taco Bell? I don’t get Taco Ball because the branches that do exist are sooooo faaaaar away from where I live and from where I study. The Middle East Are you Muslim? Nope. Do you know any Muslims? I don’t know anyone personally but it’s not unusual to see Muslims around here.   Do you know anyone who wears hijab? Again, not personally. What are some of your favorite books about Muslims? Ever been to a desert? I wish the Philippines could count as a desert lmao but no I haven’t. Would you want to ride a camel? Is that ethical? I gotta make sure it’s a green-lit thing first. Did you watch the show Legends of the Hidden Temple? I was obsessed with it when I was younger. It was on every 5:30 AM, so it was the program I watched everyday while preparing for school. Korea Have you read To All the Boys I've Loved Before? Please don’t mention that stupid book/movie. ^Have you seen the movie? Did you know that North Korea is closed? I mean, it’s not literally closed; you can still book trips there but they’re still definitely super strict about what you can and can’t get away with. Would you ever want to visit South Korea? I already have. In terms of people’s niceness, they’re in the middle of Chinese (the shits) and Japanese (absolute angels). Most of the Koreans I dealt with were nice save for this one woman who shooed me away when I was taking a photo of something from her little bazaar. Have you ever had Korean food? YESSSSS I love Korean food so much, it’s so underrated. People gotta go deeper than sushi and Chinese fried rice cos there’s another East Asian with food that slaps as fuuuuuuuck. South America Have you read The Spirit of the Rainforest? I have not. Name one fact you know about Venezuela. I know nothing about Venezuela other than they also seem to be favorites in Miss Universe pageants every year along with PH. Do you know anyone who lives in Peru? I do not. That’s very far from where I’m at. Have you ever tried Peruvian food or drink? Nope. I definitely would if there were places that served such here. Have you ever been to South America? No. Do you know anyone from Brazil? I don’t think so. Would you ever want to visit South America? Yes. Name someone you know who owns llamas. Nobody. Do you like llamas? I like all animals except for cockroaches and other weird insects, so yes. Have you ever sewn on a loom? I haven’t had the chance to. Do you own a skirt from Guetamala? This is...specific. No. Do you ever wonder why we don't hear much about South America? Probs because people and media play a hand in painting it in such a bad light, e.g. poverty, drugs, crime and otherwise glorify its big brother North America as a place of freedom and diversity and liberty when it’s just as big of a shithole as anywhere else. But I’m glad social media exposes issues in countries that often go unignored, South American ones included. Thailand Do you like elephants? I LOVE elephants, they’re my favorite creatures. Would you ever be brave enough to try walking on stilts? I’d be so scared but wouldn’t be opposed to trying. Do you know about sex trafficking in Thailand? I’ve heard enough to be actively aware of it, but I don’t know specifics. Do you like Thai food? Obsessed.

Do you know anyone who's Thai? I don’t think so. United States If you live in the US, which state do you live in? Which states have you visited? Which states have you lived in? Have you ever been to Washington D.C? No. What is your favorite American food? I don’t know...I’m genuinely not sure what counts as American food because the ones I know were influenced one way or another from other cuisines. Maybe burgers? I love me a juicy burger with brioche buns, caramelized onions, and a mayo-based sauce. Do you listen to popular music? Hahahaha, guilty pleasure. Do you dream of having two kids and maybe a dog? Yesssss. ...and living in a two-story house with a white picket fence? House yes; not so much on the fence. Fences aren’t the norm here; people have big-ass gates instead. ...and having a good job and saving for retirement? Why is this just an American thing? Isn’t this like a people thing? ....where you can retire to Florida and live on the beach? Florida was never my ideal home. Did you go to college? If so, what was your major? I’m in college atm. Journalism. Were you abused by your parents? Emotionally/mentally/verbally. Do you know any nice people? ???????? I do, but I’m starting to dislike how general life questions were all clumped into the American category as if the whole world lives an American-centric life. Anyway IT’S NOT THAT SERIOUS ROBYN MOVE ON How often do you bbq? What's your favorite ride at Cedar Point? Other What's the best family vacation you've been on? Palawan was amazing. It was a local vacation but it was so much good fun. What countries have you visited? My own; Japan, China, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia. What countries do you want to visit? Morocco, South Africa, Egypt, Canada, Peru, Malta, India, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia. Have you ever been to NYC? No. Do you live in a big city, small town, or other? Big city, but I live in the quiet, more suburban part of it so it feels small.

Do you live in the city or country? City. What is your favorite country besides your own? I never claimed that the Philippines was my favorite country hahahaha um I don’t have one. What country do you live in? The Philippines. What is your ancestry? Filipino, Malay, Austronesian, possibility of Spanish. Are you happy with the American government? Right now? It sucks. I only recognize and like AOC. What currency do you use? Philippine peso. Do you think you have an accent? Everyone has an accent. I don’t know why this is a question. Have you ever been told you have an accent? Sure.

[thblti23]

DANCING

G:"What would you say about a swamp soup?"

V:"Delicious ... I would start with an aperitif and something to nibble to deceive the wait.Thank you."

G:"No, no no no."

V:"Mh? What's up, what's going on."

G:"Your real height you must chop those mushrooms."

V:"Do you have to do what?"

G:"Chop up those mushrooms.Com'on begins."

V:"Totally ridiculous."

G:"Have you started?"

V: "I understand, calm down."

While Goku collects the ingredients for the soup, Vegeta is struggling with the mushroom that cuts very slowly.

V:"Phew ... one."

G:"Give me the space of a young man, see and learn."

V: "Oh ... though."

He positions himself behind him, guiding his movements.

G: "Good, it's not bad."

V: "I see I ... here I have never done these things before."

G: "But really?"

V: "Ah, all right, but you know you live in a castle, they do all the others for you, all the time, to dress, they feed you, they wipe you and they brush your teeth."

G: "Ohw poor child."

V: "Mh mine was a lucky life ... but then my parents cut the food and then suddenly I found out that I can not do anything ..."

G: "Well, you have the stuff to become an excellent mushroom mince."

V: "Are you serious?"

G: "Practice and I could also hire you."

V: "Really?"

G: "No ahahaha."

V: "Oh come on, this is a low blow."

They spent the evening laughing and making jokes while eating the swamp gourd soup.

G: "Do you still want it?"

V: "It was really good, you really have a special talent."

G: "Well, thank you. Oh look, there's a beautiful sky."

V: "Come, I want to teach you something."

He takes his hand by grasping his side with one hand and Goku understands immediately and subtracts.

G: "No, I'm sorry ... I do not dance."

Try to hold it back. Goku slips out of his grasp like an eel, moving a few paces away from him.

G: "I've never danced."

He looks at him tenderly and takes his hand again.

V: "I can chop you can dance."

And very slowly he drives him and Goku follows him smiling.

[largethingslargerthings]

Meditative Week of Poetry: Stephanie Chang

i want to be equal parts bright / & violent / thing / we were out / last thursday / the flowers / turning hundred-eyed / as i scraped my mouth / for eel we took / prisoner / not safe / to eat / we bunched up the hours / like wads of scripture / a million little bones / adding up invisible murders / the butcher / wore snakeskin / and cowboy shades / a lily had slit / his ear and you / were laughing / neon lights / swabbing my legs / rare / regalia / regalia / you pointed to the fattest pig / for sale / i want to be so clean / i told the cleaver / a slow dance / of lanterns splayed open / semi-circular / lotus-lipped & ill-behaved / back home you strip / the skin / & lard bare / from your eyes / we cut away / my favorite colors / vertigo: / miscellaneous hot pot foods that drop / dead / parasite the soup / a primordial song / of faces we fossilized under / the sweat / of my breast / somewhere the shadows stop / making sense / we find our hands / honeyed together / no rift / but the swans bowed crescent / miming moons between / our mouths / rabbits migrating home on sailboats / of spit / such red-eyed thieves / empires falling all around / home / the butcher’s stall / the lilies / we sweep into wedding dresses / summertime / mincing us to pieces / we blush & stuff / our skulls with meat.

[thehungrykat1]

Mazesoba and Japanese Comfort Food at Menya Kokoro

I have always been a big fan of ramen and anything Japanese. Nothing warms my heart more than a big bowl of hot and delicious ramen from my favorite Japanese restaurants. But last year, I heard a lot of good things about this new modern-style soupless ramen restaurant that opened in Bonifacio Global City. It took a global pandemic and more than a year before I was finally to try it for myself, but it was definitely worth the wait.

Menya Kokoro is a new restaurant that specializes in Tokyo Mazesoba. This is a new style of ramen which literally translates as “mixing noodle.” Japanese Chef Takuma Ishikawa created Kokoro Mazesoba in Tokyo Japan in 2013 and it was brought to the Philippines last year by restaurateur Malvin Ang who also owns and runs Brotzeit Philippines. You can find Menya Kokoro at the third floor al fresco area of Uptown Mall in Bonifacio Global City.

The restaurant follows all the recommended health procedures set by the government, including temperature checks before you can go inside the restaurant with masks and face shields as requirements. They also offer take-out and deliveries through foodpanda and Grabfood with their D-I-Y Tokyo Mazesoba Kits.

I do believe dining in is still the way to get the best masezoba experience. Menya Kokoro gives diners a secure environment as they use UV light disinfectant, germicidal and sterilizer for the safety of their guests and staff. They also use Aeris Active which provides hospital-grade disinfection on hard surfaces, kills COVID-19, and provides antibacterial protection for up to 7 days or 200 touches.

But if you want to be even safer, grab a chair outside and sit down at their al fresco dining area. This is where my friends and I gathered last week for a lively but socially-distanced lunch at Menya Kokoro.

It was the last Friday afternoon before Christmas and everyone felt the weekend vibes. Aside from mazesoba, Menya Kokoro is a place that offers great Japanese comfort food so we started with a few orders of Japanese beer and cocktails. The Kirin Ichiban (P150) goes well with their yakitori selections and other appetizers.

What really impressed us was their lineup of Japanese Cocktails in cans like the Peach Suntory (P220) and the Strong Beer (P220) which really packs quite a punch at 9% alcohol content! These are available in other flavors like grape, plum, apple, pineapple, grape fruit, and more.

Pair your drinks with these yakitori sticks that really make a great opening combination. You can try four kinds of yakitori including Chicken, Pork, and Prawn Yakitori (P60/stick).

My favorite was the Wagyu Beef Yakitori (P150/stick) with its very flavorful wagyu cubes doused with a sweet teriyaki sauce. This is the perfect beer match!

They also have Gyoza (P190) for those like to pair these with their ramen. Another option for an appetizer or side dish would be the Karaage (P200). These very crunchy bite-sized fried chicken are also good to eat along with the beers and cocktails.

We were all enjoying the drinks and appetizers with the cool outdoor breeze so much that we almost forgot about the main event, the mazesoba!

Chef Takuma Ishikawa created a modern twist on the traditional ramen. The Mazesoba is a dry noodle dish topped with all sorts of tasty ingredients that you mix together to create a myriad of flavors. It uses soba for its noodles which is softer but thicker than ramen. The mazesoba became extremely popular in Tokyo and Japan with Chef Ishikawa winning the 2014 Best Mazesoba Award. This is Menya Kokoro’s signature item, the Tokyo Mazesoba (P350). It has a base of chicken paitan broth, oil flavored with sakura ebi, soy sauce, sesame seeds, and saba fish powder. These are topped with spring onions, chives, chopped nori, special minced-pork sauce, fish powder, minced garlic, and a soft-boiled egg at the center.

So how do you eat your Mazesoba? There’s a bit of a ritual as you first have to mix all the ingredients properly. Break the onsen tamago at the center and blend everything together with the soba noodles.

It smells so good! You can add their special Kombu Vinegar or seaweed vinegar plus some chili oil if you prefer. Once you have it all mixed up, it’s time to slurp away at your mazesoba!

If you want something more special, go order the Zenbu Mazesoba (P470) which is an upgraded version of the Tokyo Mazesoba. In addition to all those ingredients mentioned above, the Zenbu Mazesoba comes with lovely chashu or braised pork belly, bamboo shoots, and ajitama ramen egg. You can have it in spicy or non-spicy version.

This is what I actually ordered and I really love it! Just look at that gorgeous onsen tamago and those tender pieces of chashu. All the ingredients blended perfectly to create this rich and flavorful bowl of noodles. It reminded me of our own Filipino pancit canton but multiplied by so much more. That was my first time to try mazesoba and I am now hooked!

Each order of mazesoba also comes with a side bowl of mushroom shoyu soup. But that’s not all, because it also comes with a small bowl of steamed rice. So what is that rice for? When you finish your mazesoba, there will usually be a lot of leftover ingredients on the bowl. You can mix your rice together with these tiny bits to extend your mazesoba experience even further. That means double the fun and double the satisfaction!

One of the new items on the menu at Menya Kokoro is the Unagi Mazesoba (P580). My husband loves unagi so this is what he ordered. It comes with a generous portion of fatty Japanese eel which gives the entire bowl a different flavor component. This also gets our vote of approval.

For those who still prefer the traditional soupy ramen, don’t worry because Menya Kokoro also offers a few of these. The Tantan Ramen (P430) is a slightly spicy ramen using ground pork and peanut as its base. They also have chasu ramen, miso ramen, and other variants.

There are a few rice bowls to choose from as well. The Sukiyakidon (P320) comes with strips of marinated pork and other vegetables on a bowl of hot rice. Beef Currydon and Mazedon are also available.

But if you’re stuck at home or work and dreaming about a warm bowl of ramen or mazesoba, don’t worry because Menya Kokoro also has a very efficient online delivery website where you can choose your favorite dishes and have them delivered straight to your location.

Just head over to www.menyakokoroph.com and view their collection of Japanese comfort dishes. Everything on their menu can be ordered for delivery including gift cards that you can send to your friends and family. You can book a third party delivery rider to pick-up your order or you can ask them to book it for you.

I was craving for some ramen the other night, so I went to their website and ordered a box of their D-I-Y Black Garlic Ramen Kit for delivery to my home. This kit is good for two servings and is very easy to assemble and cook.

Everything you need is in the box including soba noodles, pork chashu, nori, and the broth itself. The items are frozen so you can even keep them in the freezer for up to a few weeks if you like having them ready and available any time.

It took just around ten minutes to prepare my warm and hearty bowl of Black Garlic Ramen from Menya Kokoro. My husband ordered the Beef Mazesoba which comes with meaty beef strips together with the flavorful mazesoba ingredients.

It was a fun and relaxing Friday afternoon filled with cold beers and cocktails paired with warm bowls of mazesoba and ramen. Menya Kokoro is a great venue to have a safe and socially distant gathering with friends and family. Visit them at Uptown Mall and try the mazesoba experience yourself, or just have these delicacies delivered straight to you. Happy slurping!

Menya Kokoro

3/F Uptown Mall, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig

(0919) 001-9392 / 77586493

http://www.menyakokoroph.com/

www.facebook.com/menyakokoroph

[immiegpoots]

⋨ Bayview Task ╳ December Challenge ╳ Day 16 ⋩ ↳ ❝ Does your character have a favorite ornament on their tree? Or maybe a piece of décor around the house that means a lot to them? ❞

She does have her favorite ornament on her three, four to be exact! It’s four white poinsettia made out of felt, this were ones she made with her grandmother, mother and her maternal aunt, one for each and handcrafting ornaments was something that came from her maternal side from the family and something she still does till today, That day they made sixteen in total, 4 sets for each one of them to keep and she has kept hers since then. It was three Christmases later when she lost her grandmother so they became more important, the set her grandmother had now belonged to her uncle and he dutifully put them on his own tree.

⋨ Bayview Task ╳ December Challenge ╳ Day 17 ⋩ ↳ ❝ What secret treat is hiding out in the drawer, tucked behind all of the boring food that they insist on buying this time of year? ❞

Peppermint bark, not that exciting is it? But she just loves the stuff and she feels it is the time where she can indulge in it! There might also be some mince pies, which she bakes and secretly stash some away because those tend to fly once they are made, as they are a holiday favorite and she does seem to have a lot of mince pies piranhas around, so she has to hide some. She might also have some Finlandia Cranberry flavored vodka there, but that's a mystery.

⋨ Bayview Task ╳ December Challenge ╳ Day 18 ⋩ ↳ ❝ What Christmas song(s) has your character been playing a lot this year? ❞

Honestly, while she likes classic or most of the classic Christmas songs, she also likes and tends to favor more alternative options. So she has been playing Everything’s Gonna Be Cool This Christmas by Eels, Don’t Shoot Me Santa by The Killers, A Winter's Tale by Queen, Let me Sleep (Christmas Time) by Pearl Jam and All I want for Christmas is a New Year's Day by Hurts.

⋨ Bayview Task ╳ December Challenge ╳ Day 19 ⋩ ↳ ❝ If your character was in a holiday movie, what would it be like? What’s the genre, who are some of the other characters, what’s the general storyline? ❞

Well, she has already technically been in a holiday movie and the genre was horror, what a surprise! She did appear in the remake of Black Christmas so there's that.

[sexy-salmon]

Muahaha. Surprise, I have the power! Character asks 34 and 40 for Michelle Starr, 37 and 42 for Bel Sen'pai <3

AAAH BLESS YOU WITH RAGSTAR QUESTIONS!!!

Captain Starr34. Does your character have favorite foods? (breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, snacks, etc)Captain Starr does love his japanese food, in the sense that he’s literally obsessed with it and would not eat anything else XD. Some favorite plates: unagi no kabayaki (grilled eel on top of rice), Oyakodon (rice bowl dish consisting of fish, meat, vegetables or other ingredients served together over rice with various tops), and a real passion for Korokke (deep-fried patties containing either mashed potato or white sauce mixed with minced meat, vegetables or seafood). He’s really good at preparing Takoyaki ( fried dumpling of batter with a piece of octopus inside) too, so that’s a favorite of his. He’s so proud of his culinary skills, the dear captain <3

40. Does your OC have any guilty pleasures they enjoy? Hobbies, past times, music, etc that they wouldn’t want known by others? 

TOO MANY He loves building and collecting Gunplas (yeah, Gundams) but the most notable of the ones he’s kind of ashamed of is his secret passion for hispanic tv dramas. I’m talking Paso Adelante here; he’s an EXTREMELY lonely man after all…

Bel Sen’pai

37. What are some of your character’s pet peeves? What are some things that annoy them or disgust them?As any of the Cephalopodes, Bel hates with all of himself  the concept of “pragmatism“. But beyond cultural matters, a good way of getting on his bad side is playing subtle over things. He’s not  good at all at reading between lines and tends to go in full paranoia over missing out something. Also he hates toasters and other kitchen appliances , but it is pretty understandable since one tried to kill him once :D42. Is there anything in your character’s past that they regret, haunts them, or they wish they could change?AH, and this is where things get real. When he was young (and waaay too naive) he was in a really toxic relationship. During the course of that, he made several mistakes trying to make it work at any costs. Those he regrets immensely, to the point he’s still haunted by them, making him one overly cautious and suspicious person, specially concerning relationships with others

[044-eu]

Traditional recipes of Emilia Romagna

Emilia Romagna is the queen of homemade pastas, typical recipes such as cappelletti, tortellini and tortelloni come from this region, to talk about stuffed pastas, but also all other pastas such as noodles, maltagliati and other types of pasta that in many restaurants and even in the houses are still prepared by hand. As for the second dishes and appetizers the basic element of Romagna cuisine is pork, with its many charcuterie and instead of bread is consumed the flatbread. Fish also has its importance in traditional Romagna cuisine, of which you can appreciate its many recipes. Even for sweets the region offers a wide range of delights, in short the Romagna is all to try and see with its coasts and its plains. Let's start with the starters.

Typical Romagna appetizer

As for the typical Romagna appetizer there is no specific recipe as it is usually formed a tray or a chopping board with different types of cured meats and typical cheeses and the classic flatbreads that accompany the whole thing instead of bread. Flatbreads are a typical product of Emilia Romagna where it is eaten instead of bread and are yummy stuffed with cured meats and cheeses. So below I will give the recipe of the flatground. Necessary for the Romagna flatground 600 grams of flour type 0 300 grams of water 80 grams of pork lard or if you don't find 80 grams of seed oil. salt up 1 teaspoon Preparation of the Romagna flatground In a bowl knead the flour with lard or seed oil and salt, adding a little water at a time. As soon as the dough acquires consistency continue to work it with your hands on a table or a pavement. The dough obtained must be firm and homogeneous. Make a loaf and put it to rest for about 30 minutes wrapped in a sheet of cling film. After this time, work the ball a little more with your hands and form a cylinder cut to get about 6 portions, which you will roll out with a rolling pin until it forms round sheets. Put a dodgy frying pan on the heat and heat it very well. Cook one pastry at a time by turning it often and piercing it with a fork if it forms air inside. The flats are ready when they appear slightly golden on both sides. A gluttonous use of flatstones is also stuffed with chocolate spread or jam, they are delicious. Let's now move on to the first typical dishes of Emilia Romagna.

Romagna chapels

One of the classic first dishes of Christmas cuisine and festive days. Necessary for Romagna chapels 400 grams of flour for pasta 3 whole eggs for pasta 200 grams of ricotta vaccinated 50 grams of grated Parmesan cheese 130 grams of minced chicken breast meat, you can also use the meat of cappone or pork the peel of half a grated lemon 2 eggs at room temperature for filling salt and pepper just enough a pinch of nutmeg butter just enough. Preparation of Romagna chapels This recipe is divided into two phases, one is the preparation of puff pastry and the other the preparation of the stuffing of the chapels. First cook the chicken meat in a pan with a little butter. Usually using the chicken breast, then a slice, it will take a few minutes. Freshly cooked pass the meat in the blender and finely chop. In a bowl add to the minced meat the two eggs, the ricotta and the grated Parmesan cheese. Work all the ingredients to mix well and combine the nutmeg, grated lemon peel, salt and pepper. The dough for the filling of the Romagna chapels is ready. Now let's make the pasta. On a pavement or on the table put the flour and form a central recess in which you will put the freshly beaten eggs. Mix it all well and working with your hands get a soda and smooth ball. With a rolling pin, flatten the dough until you get a rather thin pastry. In this puff pastry you will cut out discs of about 6 centimeters using a glass of that diameter. Place a teaspoon of filling in the center of each disc. Close the disc by folding it in half and then joining the two tips together. This will form the chapels in their original form. The cappelletti should then be cooked for a few minutes in a chicken or cappone broth.

Imperial Soup

Another historic recipe of Emilia Romagna that is cooked especially in Bologna but a bit throughout the region. This is a poor dish with ancient origins, which is cooked especially in winter. It's a quick and easy recipe. Imperial soup needed 120 grams of semolina 4 whole eggs 120 grams of grated Parmesan cheese 80 grams of butter salt, pepper and nutmeg just enough Preparation of imperial soup First melt the butter very slowly. In a bowl mix the semolina with the beaten eggs, the grated Parmesan cheese, the butter, add salt and pepper and a pinch of nutmeg. Mix it all together. Sprinkle and flour a rectangular baking tray and pour the mixture, leveling the surface well. Bake in an already hot oven at 180 degrees for about 15 minutes. The surface should be slightly golden. Remove from the oven and leave to cool. Once cooled, remove the solidified mixture and cut it into cubes of about one centimeter. These cubes should then be boiled in a chicken or cappone broth for 4 - 5 minutes. Season with plenty of grated Parmesan cheese.

Second dishes

Let's now move on to the second dishes, which in Emilia Romagna are really many and one tastier than the other. The typical Emilian recipes cover both meat and fish dishes. Known in many parts of the world its sausages, which in Italy are cooked in winter and mainly in the Christmas period. Let's talk about the famous cotechino and the paw. But there are many other recipes especially of fish such as stewed eels, baked anchovies, romagna fish broth and many others. Let's start with the meat ones.

The cotechino

Cotechino is a sausage made with pork, both with rind, and with lean meats, and with fatty meats seasoned with spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, herbs salt and black pepper. It is on the market ready to cook. It is stuffed inside a natural pork gut and is cooked very slowly for about two hours with the warning to wrap it in foil or in a cloth napkin, this to prevent the gut from breaking and leaking the cotechino. The ideal contour is lentils. Tradition wants the cotechino with lentils to be cooked in the new year's dinner as a good omen for the new year. Necessary for cotechino with lentils a ready-made cotechino of 500/600 grams 500 grams of lentils already cooked 1 onion 1 rib of celery 1 carrot 20 grams of olive oil 20 grams of butter salt and pepper just enough Preparation of cotechino with lentils The cotechino as already mentioned if you take it fresh (you can also find packages with the already pre-cooked product) wraps in foil and cooks in boiling water for at least 2 hours. When cooked, it takes off the skin and slices. For the lentils prepare a chopped onion, carrot and celery and fry in olive oil and butter and when they are golden add the lentils without the cooking liquid. Season for a few minutes and serve warm with the cotechino slices. The paw inside is made as the cotechino changes only the outer part that instead of the natural pork gut of the cotechino, is stuffed in the paw of the pig from which the whole interior is removed. This too is already ready for cooking and also pre-cooked. Eel stewed with peas This is one of the best second fish dishes of the regional cuisine of Romagna. The eel is already clean, so peeled and eviscerated. The best are those caught in the region in particular in the Comacchio valleys. Necessary for stewed eel with peas about 800 grams of eel already cleaned 400 grams of fresh peas 1 glasses of dry white wine 1 onion 1 rib of celery 1 carrot 1 garlic clove a bunch of parsley, sage and rosemary just enough 400 grams of chopped tomatoes salt and pepper just enough olive oil just enough a little flour Preparation for stewed eel with peas Cut the already clean and peeled eel into pieces of about 5 centimeters and pass it into the flour. In a rather large pan in plenty of olive oil fry the floured eel pieces until golden brown. Prepare a mince with parsley, garlic, onion, celery and carrot. When the pieces of eel are golden put the white wine and let it evaporate completely. Now add the chopped vegetables that we had prepared together with salt and pepper, rosemary and sage. Put the peeled tomatoes into small pieces again and cook with a lid for about half an hour, putting a little water if necessary. After this time remove the pieces of eel and set aside and to the cooking mince add the peas and cook them for at least 10 minutes. after this time turn off the heat, put the eel pieces again with the peas, mix well and serve hot.

Sweets - Rice Cake

The traditional Emilia desserts are many, let's start with rice cake, Bologna's original recipe. Necessary for rice cake 200 grams of arboreal rice 200 grams of sugar 80 grams of ground almonds 4 whole eggs at room temperature the zest of a lemon 1 teaspoon plenty of cinnamon butter and flour just enough 1 vanilla pod 1 litre whole milk Preparing rice cake In a large pot boil the milk with the vanilla pod and the lemon peel. When boiling add the rice and cook it for about 15 minutes until it has absorbed all the milk. Remove the lemon zest and vanilla pod and allow to cool. Chop the almonds very finely with a kitchen mixer. In a bowl, whisk the whole eggs with the sugar until foamy, add the ground almonds and the rice that will be cold. Add the teaspoon of ground cinnamon and put in a cake tin of about 26 centimeters buttered and floured. Level the mixture and bake in a pre-hot oven at 160 degrees for about 60 minutes. If after about 40 minutes notice that the top of the cake tends to be too dark cover the cake tin with foil and continue cooking. This will prevent the surface of the cake from being overcooked. Read the full article

[grantairelibere]

Sandwich update: I have copied down all the recipes from the time between quiz creation to circa 8 pm yesterday evening, and now have 27 pages of sandwich (and several non-sandwich) recipes. I have compiled some stuff for your viewing pleasure, and because I feel the need to share the wealth. What is one man to do with 27 pages of sandwich recipes?? Share them on his blog about Les Misérables by Victor Hugo, I guess.

General sandwich advice: I got a lot of answers multiple times: statistically “no” and “bread” were the most common, but also got a few very popular hot tips: -use mayo in the place of butter when making grilled cheese -put chips/crisps on sandwiches for that good crunch -alternative crunch method: sliced cucumbers -“the contents don’t matter as long as the bread is good” -add arugula to things (strongly agree) -apparently 1000 islands salad dressing is good on savoury sandwiches -grilled PB&J the way one might make a grilled cheese -the combination of a fried egg+avocado+cheese Now, the following recipes all come to you verbatim from the uquiz text box. I have never tried these but they sound very good: -My favorite bagel recipe : salmon, cream cheese, avocado slices marinated in lemon juice and red pepper, sun dried tomatoes and salad leaves. It's just SO GOOD. To have with a toasted bagel with melted cheese ?

-swedish meatballs and beetroot salad on toasted baguette

-Fry some chicken (pref thigh but breast if ur white) in breadcrumbs. Bread, mayo, kimchi, fried chicken, cheese, bread BAM best sandwich ur welcome

-Apples kale some nice havarti cheese hummus and lime

-chop up a green onion and an israeli pickle very finely, mix mayo and eel sauce, spread sauce on rye toast, and add the veggies and sliced turkey. add some sort of sliced cheese if you want to :)

-crusty bread, toasted; gochujang; comté; fried eggs

-Brie cranberry sauce rockets and walnuts. Bougie af but delicious

-First you need a good, grainy bread. Something dark, with texture. Layer of brown mustard. Roast beef (deli or leftover roast, but preferably thin slaices), then a THIN layer of horseradish sauce, then provolone cheese. Do the same on the other slice of bread, DO NOT CLOSE THE SANDWICH, throw both slices into the toaster oven/regular oven until the cheese is melty, THEN put some greens in the middle (I like baby spinach or arugula or both) and slap that bad boy together, luxuriate 

-Food processor, put in chickpeas, teeny bit of onion, couple tablespoons of Mayo (or vegan Mayo, then lil bit of vinegar, lemon juice and garlic powder, whizz it all together and season with salt n pepper, add sweet corn if that’s your jam and BOOM Veggie/Vegan tuna Mayo for ur sandwich needs

-cheese, coleslaw and mango chutney between lightly toasted bread

-Nutella and cream cheese. It sounds gross but trust me on this, my guy. It’s so good. The sandwich of sandwiches.

-some good quality dry summer sausage, dijon mustard, fresh sliced tomatoes, and homemade dill pickles on sourdough bread

-First thing’s first: Get a loaf of bread. Cut that thang. Grab some cheese, your fave, although now that I’m thinking about it gouda sounds real good...mmm...?????... NEXT: pesto. I don’t care if you don’t like pesto, slap that mf on there. Last ingredient: truffle aioli. “OoOh, fancy”, stfu it’s real basic Stonewall Kitchen stuff. Little bit of butter, grill it on the stove and BAM. Grilled cheese of your dreams. ᵐᵐ ᵍᵒᵘᵈᵃ

-Okay arugula, fresh mozz, basil, balsamic glaze, sliced peach, on French bread

-Marinate some veggies (I like onion, mushrooms, bell pepper, and zucchini) in balsamic vinegar or balsamic dressing. Grill them or sauté them. Cut open focaccia horizontally, toast it, and top with hummus and your veggies. Smoked tofu or tempeh is good if you want more protein. Eat open faced. Live deliciously.

-goat cheese, honey, walnuts. if nut allergy, grilled courgette, salad, sundried tomatoes, pesto and mozarella

-toast white bread (3 slices). mince 1 adobo chili (canned). take minced chili and 1/2 tsp sauce from it and mix with mayo. chop cillantro, add to mayo. add splash of lime juice and salt to taste. put on slices of bread. add turkey, lettuce, tomato +bacon if desired

-Panini! Fig jam, provolone cheese, mortadella, prosciutto, any spicy salami and some apple slices (lettuce or arugula optional) Press that bad boy and enjoy a warm delicatessen

-Toast a slice of home baked sourdough. Spread hummus. Add a couple slices of canned smoked herring or similar. Slice a hard boiled egg and place over the herring. Finish with chives from the garden. Enjoy the heck out of your open faced hipster millennial atrocity.

-Apples kale some nice havarti cheese hummus and lime

-It's super basic, but, if you do eat pork, you can cook it in a pan with dry white wine and herbs and then you sort of drench the bread in the sauce, and fill it with the meat and some lettuce and it's really good.

-butter, garlic, kalamata olives, sundried tomatoes, mozzarella/parmesan/feta cheese, lao gan ma chilli sauce. fresh basil if you have it. Toasted

I’m dubious, but you have my attention: -sliced apples, cheese, and a sprinkle of sugar and cinnamon on a bagel, toasted

-A chocolate bar a Nutella spread a several M&m crispys a nother chocolate bar bone apple tea

-Fluffernutter (I have googled this, apparently it is peanut butter and marshmallow fluff?)

-Bologna and BBQ chips

-Toasted cinnamon raisin bread, unsweetened crunchy peanut butter, crisp American/streaky bacon, very thin layer of hot pepper jelly.

-Uhh chicken salad with grapes and walnuts with lettuce and onion on a croissant

-starkist lemon pepper tuna with blueberries and mayonnaise

-This is going to sound weird, but cheese and banana toasted sandwich. If you have a toasted sandwich maker, try it. It sounds bizarre - honestly it sounds gross, but having had it, it is delicious. The melted cheese goes with the banana really well.

-turkey with peanut butter and jelly . maybe lettuce as well if you please

-Ciabatta, roasted red peppers, lettuce, cheddar cheese, mayo, horseradish sauce, honey mustard, bean sprouts. No meat, my friends mock me and call it a condiment sandwich.

-OKAY SO CICKENNNUGGETS AND CHEESE AND RANCH AND PICKLE

I’m prepared to eat my words if these are good, but are YOU good?: -peanut butter and egg

-Ham, egg, cheese, and rice. Yes rice.

-Put a pot noodle in there and eat it like a dog

-Bread. Lettuce. Lettuce. Bread. Bread. Lettuce. Bread. Half of a tomato. Lettuce, still wet from the rinse. Mustard. Bread. Bread. Then you put the crust on afterwards.

-Fresh out the toaster English muffins (or eggos) are the perfect temperature to melt the chocolate in English Bay chocolate chip cookies

-DIP THE SINGLE SLICE IN COKE AND STUFF IT IN YOUR MOUTH ---

Anyway. Thank you everyone for your sandwiches. I will be living so deliciously in the coming years. This uquiz was the best decision I’ve ever made. Feel free to request more sandwich compilations of me. I have so many.

What're the best sandwich recipes you've got from the quiz so far

So.....I did not anticipate this many people taking the quiz, and my doc of compiled uquiz sandwich recipes got to TWENTY PAGES last night before I had to go to sleep, so I kinda stopped reading and just started copy pasting. Will update this response when I finish getting through the first day’s sandwiches.

Also callout to whoever sent in “nutella and ham”