Catering to the food movie, 'The Taste of Things' serves up a mouthwatering feast

NEW YORK

Think of food and movies and your mind could quickly whip up a five-course meal. Maybe a few hard-boiled eggs, to start, from “Cool Hand Luke.” A side order of toast from “Five Easy Pieces,” followed by the soup from “Ratatouille.” A main course of octopus from “Oldboy.” And let’s wash all that down with a $5 shake from “Pulp Fiction.”

Since before Charlie Chaplin made bread rolls dance in “The Gold Rush,” cinema and cuisine have been as intertwined as the spaghetti of “The Lady and the Tramp.” But a real food movie — one that doesn’t just stop for noodles (“In the Mood for Love”) or take a trip to Katz’s (“When Harry Met Sally…”) — is a rarer delicacy.

Those movies that fully invest themselves in the making and consuming food are more all-your-eyes-can-eat buffets. Films like “Tampopo,” that wildly erotic ode to ramen; “Babette’s Feast,” with its sumptuous banquet; and “Eat Drink Man Woman,” Ang Lee’s nourishing family meal.

It’s a rich and savory tradition that gets a delicious new serving in Trần Anh Hùng’s “The Taste of Things.” If ever a film was a feast, it’s Hùng’s. The movie, starring Juliette Binoche and Benoît Magimel, opens with a glorious 40-minute scene set in a late 19th century French country kitchen where a meal is being prepared.

Butter is sizzling. Loins of veal are roasting. Fresh crayfish are peeled. A fish is gutted. Soup bubbles. Few words are said but the kitchen hums. Utensils clank. Merengue burns. Steam rises.

There’s no music but it’s a symphony. Eugénie (Binoche), the right-hand woman of top chef Dodin Bouffant (Magimel), works with quiet, assured mastery. It’s as riveting as any action-movie set piece.

“I told my crew: This is my car-chase scene,” says Hùng.

Hùng, the 61-year-old French-Vietnamese filmmaker, traces his love of cinema to his father, who would come home in South Vietnam with detailed descriptions of movies he had seen at the cinema, riveting Hùng. But his mother’s kitchen, he says, “gave me my first feeling of beauty.”

“The Taste of Things,” which opens in select theaters Friday, isn’t just about cooking. Like most movies about food, its appreciation of cuisine has as much to do with love and art as recipes and ingredients. Loosely inspired by Marcel Rouff’s classic 1924 novel “The Passionate Epicure,” “The Taste of Things" unfolds as a later-in-life love story, one with added poignance since Binoche and Magimel were, themselves, a couple 20 years earlier.

To Hùng, who recently spoke by phone during a trip to Vietnam (he lives in Paris), his mouthwatering opening scene, in all its sensory pleasures, is a paean to cinema.

“In musicals, it’s about harmony and the expression of love and pleasure,” says Hùng. “All of this was inside of me and I wanted to express it in this first scene in the kitchen where people move a lot. The level of gesture is enormous. How they move combined with complex camera movement, that came from musicals for me.”

France selected “The Taste of Things” as the country’s Oscar submission over the much-celebrated “Anatomy of a Fall." At last year’s Cannes Film Festival, it won best director for Hùng.

Hùng’s 1993 Oscar-nominated breakthrough “The Scent of Green Papaya” was likewise lush in atmosphere and sensuality. But while he admires some of the classic food movies — “Eat Drink Man Woman” especially — he doesn’t often feel they express what he wanted to accomplish with “The Taste of Things.”

“Today, I think films are really poor in cinema. Most of the time, it’s a theme of an important topic of the world today and then wrapped in very poor cinema. It looks like an illustration of a story,” he says. “To me, there is nothing to eat in that. I don’t feel full when I watch that type of film. There are too many like this. You can win the Palme d’Or with a very poor quality of cinema in the movie.”

Many reviews of “The Taste of Things” have come with a warning: Do not see this film on an empty stomach. But Hùng supplies no such caution.

“No, I think it’s interesting to be hungry, and waiting for the next meal,” he says, chuckling. “I never get panicked when I get hungry. I like to listen to it and wait so that what I have later is more delicious.”

Foodie photographs of a perfect plate have long been popular fodder for Instagram — the kind of gastronomy lampooned in the 2022 haute cuisine satire “The Menu.” But “The Taste of Things” is earthy and grubby. The food — none of which was artificially enhanced to look better — was all real. Famed French chef Pierre Gagnaire designed the dishes that were cooked on location by Michel Nave. For the film’s final meal, in which a triumphant pot-au-feu is prepared, some 90 pounds of meat were used.

Suffice to say, the cast and crew of “The Taste of Things” ate well.

“Everything we did was real,” says Hùng. "So at the end of the day, we had to eat everything. No waste at all.”

It’s Kouzen Season: More about Kouzen Zaka and His Family

As I wrote recently, the month of May is a special time for Kouzen and his family. Kouzen’s fet/feast day is May 1 and May 2, but fetes for Kouzen are held all through the month of May in Haiti and the Dyaspora.

In English, ‘kouzen’ translates to cousin and is a title that we address Kouzen as. He comes with a lot of different names: Azaka Mede, Azaka/Zaka Si, Azaka/Zaka La, Zaka Krib, Zaka Toné, Kouzen Mòn, and many others. He also is very, very close with his wife Kouzin, and there are a whole variety of children in fanmi Kouzen as well.

Kouzen is most well known as the minister of agriculture and work, and this is reflected in how we address him sometimes as Minis/Minister. He is vital to life in Haiti, as it is him that makes the crops grow and ensures there is enough food for the lakou to survive, as well as oversees business and money. It’s often said that even Haitians who don’t serve the lwa always give for Kouzen, because he determines success or failure and can answer hunger.

In some ways, he is also the living memory of Haiti; he carries the weight and knowledge of subsistence farming and how to survive with very little. He is a master medsin fèy (literally ‘leaf medicine’, refers to a practioner of bush medicine), and is often called upon to treat illness especially for folks who can’t afford a Western doctor or even a medsin fèy in the community. He is the reminder of where many Haitians come from and what Haiti used to be: a more rural island where farming and agriculture ruled over most other businesses. It’s not a coincidence that his month of May is also Haitian Heritage Month.

He is often referred to as a lwa travay/work lwa for his indefatigable work ethic. Kouzen knows what it is to be hungry and to suffer, so he is working all the time to make sure he never has to suffer again and that his family and those that he loves don’t suffer either. His fetes are often utilized as means to determine how the next year will go; if Kouzen comes happy and enjoys himself and eats, it will probably be a good year with normal challenges. If he comes angry or upset and refuses his food and the special marketplaces made for him, that’s potentially a forewarning that there are difficulties ahead and a lot of work goes into appeasing Kouzen to change the flow of luck.

Kouzen is also intimately involved in things like immigration. He can help (or harm!) an immigration process, and can be a huge ally in getting those papers moving. 

He is always very concerned about being taken advantage of. He comes as a poor peasant, and so folks often underestimate him or try to rip him off when he loans money or offers a good deal. He is incredibly sensitive to this and is paranoid that someone will steal from him. It’s not unusual for him to arrive at his fet and unpack his makout to make sure everything that was there last time he came is still there. He’ll count crumbs. Anything missing will need to be accounted for.

A well-known story from communities I am close to tells of a time when someone did a maryaj lwa in a temple and had brought things from their own table at home to place on the table built for the ceremony. When packing up at the end of the night, someone mistakenly packed the bottle of Kouzen’s liquor that belonged to the temple in the makout of the Kouzen the person married. It went unnoticed until that temple’s fet Kouzen rolled around.

Kouzen arrived and found that his bottle was not in his bag. He asked for it and when it could not be found, sat down on the floor and cried. He refused to let anything else happen until his bottle was located. Some fast thinking and a lot of luck had the person who did the maryaj at the fet and they had a eureka moment and drove home quickly. She lived locally (thank everything) and soon returned to the fet with the bottle. Kouzen had to be consoled and many promises and assurances made because even though the bottle had been returned and it was a genuine error and not a theft, he was so upset that his things had been taken.

He is an expert deal maker that negotiates for his best interests. Something common at most fet Kouzens is that a marketplace will be set up for him. It’s usually a large layout of fruits, vegetables, and maybe some special items for him to look over and offer up for sale. He is very, very shrewd and downright stingy. I’ve seen him refuse to select what he is willing to sell until someone presents him with money, and then he will pick what he thinks is a fair exchange. One evening, I watched someone give him a $20 bill, and he looked for a moment, selected a banan/plantain, and snapped it in half. He gave one half to the person who had paid him $20. 

He’ll often walk around holding his chapo/hat and asking for money. Most folks will come prepared with a little cash in their pocket, but pity the person who brings their wallet. Someone had the misfortune of coming to Kouzen’s fet with a significant amount of their rent money in their wallet. Kouzen asked him for money, and when he took out his wallet and opened it, Kouzen reached in and took all the cash. He refused to give it back, and so that person made a nice gift (willing or otherwise) of several hundred dollars.

It’s often said that Kouzen is the one who works and it’s his wife Kouzin who manages the money. Kouzen may want to account for every dollar, but it is Kouzin who keeps track of where it all goes. 

Folks always make him out to be greedy, full stop, and he certainly can be, but as Kouzen has known suffering he can also be very generous. I’ve watched him give money to people who were in great need and clearly say that he only needs to be remembered each week and that they don’t need to pay him back. I’ve seen him loan money to people in dire circumstances (but that money better be paid back on the terms he negotiated). 

One of the most poignant moments I’ve seen with Kouzen came at his fet when someone who had sacrificed a lot to be there came to talk with him and brought him a little money. They had been struggling with finding work for a little while, and so it was a really hard trip as they did not live locally. Kouzen refused their money and told them to keep it, because he knew they needed it. Some folks thought that was extremely negative coming from Kouzen, but it was a gift. He followed up by giving them a specific lamp recipe to find work, and less than a month later that person had a job.

With all of these very important things on his shoulders and in his makout, you’d think Kouzen would come as something other than a peasant...but he doesn’t. I think that’s really important because it reinforces how close Kouzen and all the lwa are to us; even the ones who are literal royalty.

For me, in addition to all of the above, I also experience Kouzen as a source of a lot of creativity and creative drive. My relationship has developed in such a way that he oversees a lot of my art and art practice. He doesn’t care so much what kind of art or if it even turns out good, but more that I do it and keep my hands moving because that’s good for me. He has definitely been the push to put some paint on paper or beads on fabric when I really don’t want to or don’t have any internal motivation. I will feel him eyeing me and I’ll drag myself to my studio space and do something. Or, if I’m really too busy to make art or there’s some other barrier to me actually sitting down, he’ll push me to resolve it so I have space to get my hands dirty.

In terms of what someone could do for Kouzen without getting into trouble or having him be upset is to do charity in his name. If you can, donate money to a cause that supports providing for folks who are hungry, that supports agriculture that supports self sufficiency in developing countries, or even that aids folks who are homeless or unhoused. If you can donate your time and labor, even better! Kouzen values labor and hard work, and there are plenty of places that need help these days: packing food at food pantries, distributing and delivering meals, volunteering to serve meals in homeless shelters, even volunteering to help vaccine efforts would be looked on favorably by him, as it assures further survival.

I caution folks against preparing food for Kouzen without guidance; even looking at his food in the wrong way or thinking it’s delicious can make him upset and jealous, and he’ll refuse it or spoil it. There’s specific ways to even taste his food for seasoning to make sure it will taste good...don’t risk it!

I hope this is helpful; please let me know if there are questions.

The NYADA Vegans Club

Summary: A cute guy catches Blaine’s eye and draws him to a meeting of the NYADA Vegans Club. Except Blaine is very, definitely not a vegan.

Read on AO3

"This meeting of the NYADA Vegans Club is now in session!"

Blaine jumped as the sound of a gavel hitting wood cracked through the air. The NYADA Vegans Club? Had he heard that right?

When he had followed that hot freshman guy into the room, he'd hoped it would be a meeting for something much more in line with his interests. He couldn't honestly sit through a meeting of a club that actively promoted not eating cheese for a guy he knew nothing about. Could he?

"I see many new faces this year, so let's go around and introduce ourselves. I'm Jay, the president of the NYADA Vegans. I've been a vegan for six years. And you?" Jay gestured to where Blaine stood half in and half out the doorway. "Will you be joining us?"

Blaine saw the hot guy give a small laugh at his expense as he tried to decide whether he was coming or going.

Coming, he decided upon making eye contact with his new crush.

"I'm Blaine and being vegan is something I've dedicated my life to."

He didn't know where the lie came from, but there was no taking it back once it was out. He watched as the guy's friend —a cute, small, brunette — poked his arm and made no secret of winking pointedly in Blaine's direction.

Introductions continued around the room until Blaine learned that the hot guy was named Kurt, a baby vegan of just 6 months, and his friend was named Rachel, a fellow lifelong vegan.

Blaine hadn't given much consideration to what might happen at a vegan club meeting, so he couldn't say he was surprised when anti-animal product PSAs began playing on a large screen in the room. Shortly after the videos ended, they were instructed to break, and when the meeting resumed, they would be writing letters to local restaurants encouraging the use of more vegan products.

With the excuse of wanting to stretch his legs, Blaine walked over to where Kurt and Rachel were helping themselves to cups of almond milk and dairy-free cookies.

"There he is!" he heard Rachel whisper loudly to Kurt. "Say hi!"

"Oh my god, Rachel, way to be discreet. Hi," Kurt said, extending his hand toward Blaine. "I'm Kurt, and this is Rachel, who has yet to master the art of subtlety."

Kurt's hand felt warm and perfect in his. "Blaine."

"We remember. The lifelong vegan. Impressive."

"Yeah," Blaine said, trying not to wrinkle his nose at the lie. "Thanks. So are you two freshmen? I think I recognize you from orientation."

"Oh phew," Kurt pretended to wipe his brow. "I thought I recognized you from orientation, too, but I didn't want to be the first creep to admit it."

Blaine blushed and looked at his feet, trying to figure out how to run from the room and never see Kurt again without looking like too much of a loser.

"Relax, Blaine." Kurt laughed and put a reassuring hand on his bare forearm. "I was kidding."

"Oh thank god, I thought I was going to have to switch schools."

They all laughed at Blaine's dramatics and continued on with a light conversation. Blaine was thrilled to notice that Kurt's eyes lingered on him as they spoke, and that he laughed the loudest at Blaine's jokes.

They chatted through the letter writing activity and stayed long past the end of the meeting, discussing their histories with show choir and their favorite musicals and what their upcoming college career could hold in store.

When they finally parted to go home to apartments on opposite sides of the city, Blaine couldn't deny that following Kurt into that meeting was the best dumb choice he'd ever made.

Blaine went back for the next meeting, and then the next. The subject matter may have been less than stimulating, but the scenery was gorgeous and the conversation wasn't bad either. He and Kurt were having a great time getting to know each other, but neither came right out and flirted openly or made plans outside of Vegan Club. Instead, they sent each other looks with dopey smiles on their faces when they thought nobody was paying attention, and blushed bashfully when they were caught.

When it became clear that neither of them would be making any moves, Rachel took it upon herself to intervene. She invited Blaine over for a five course vegan meal at her and Kurt's loft, and he accepted immediately.

While Blaine saw the merits of vegan products, and had even thoroughly enjoyed some of the snacks offered at Vegan Club, he couldn't say he was looking forward to an entirely vegan meal. But he was one to try anything, and since Kurt — who somehow got more attractive every time they saw each other — was involved, he would definitely be trying Rachel's feast.

"Blaine's here!" he heard Rachel yell from the other side of the door. He tightened his already too-tight grasp on the wine he'd had his roommate buy for him and waited for someone to answer his knock.

The heavy door slid open, and Blaine couldn't decide if he should stare at Kurt or the apartment. Kurt, as usual, won out.

"You look amazing," he said as he pulled a surprised, but flattered, Kurt into a hug.

"Thank you, so do you."

"Your apartment is incredible," Blaine gushed, looking around. "It's giving me chic RENT vibes."

"Kurt decorated most of it," Rachel told him from her spot by the stove. She lifted the spoon she was holding. "Broccoli vegan cheddar soup! Are you ready to eat?"

It turned out that vegan cheddar was not exactly Blaine's preferred cheese. And that meatless meatloaf wasn't his preferred entrée. There was a little hope for the vegan strawberry cheesecake. At least, it looked mouthwatering.

"Kurt made this one," Rachel announced as she set the plates in front of them. "He worked on it all last night, so I'm sure it will be wonderful."

Blaine took a bite and closed his eyes with the overwhelming deliciousness of the cake.

"Wow, Kurt, I've never had a vegan dessert so good. You've got to share the recipe with me!"

Kurt shook his head. "Sorry, secret family recipe."

"Oh well, guess you'll just have to keep making it for me, then," Blaine teased. He stood and headed to the kitchen. "Shall I get the new bottle of wine from the fridge?"

"No!" Kurt said, a little too loudly, pushing back from the table and beating Blaine to the fridge, standing in front of it. "You're our guest. Please sit and I'll get it."

Blaine returned to the table to find Rachel trying her best to hide a laugh, but he didn't ask.

After the dessert plates were cleared, they settled on the couch to watch a movie. At first, Blaine had thought Rachel was acting as Kurt's wingman by asking him to their apartment for dinner and a movie, and that she'd do the classic "I'm going to bed" and slip away to leave the two men alone, but she never did. She stayed the entire movie, curled up on the other side of Kurt. Blaine rested his hand on the couch next to him, inching his way toward where Kurt's hand lay, brushing their fingers together every so often and sending a jolt of excitement though his arm. He wanted to chance putting an arm around Kurt, but with Rachel so close, it would have been awkward.

By the time he hugged the two roommates goodnight and left, Blaine knew he couldn't waste any more time. He was going to ask Kurt out.

———

After enduring another excruciatingly boring Vegan Club meeting, Blaine finally asked Kurt on a date. His heart soared when Kurt said yes without hesitation.

That Saturday evening, Blaine and Kurt met in front of the student center on campus. After overtly admiring each other for a few seconds, Kurt spoke up.

"I'm really glad you had the balls to ask me out. I put on a good show of confidence, but when it comes to boys, that's all it is — a show. If you hadn't asked, we'd probably still be staring at each other all cutesy and pretending we only like each other as friends two years down the road."

"I'm glad too, then. I'm not afraid to make big moves. They almost always backfire on me somehow, but…" he shrugged. "Can't win if you never play the game!"

Kurt gave a laugh-snort. "You're like a walking motivational poster."

"Kurt," Blaine said, looking at him seriously. "You've gotta risk it to get the biscuit."

Their laughter carried them all the way to the restaurant, a small bistro tucked away from most of the nearby foot traffic.

Cozied up in the round, plush booth where they were directed, the waiter interrupted their conversation to take their order.

"I'll have the house salad with balsamic vinaigrette and a cup of the vegan minestrone soup, please," Blaine said, longing for something more substantial, but selecting the only vegan options on the menu.

Kurt gave him a weird look, then ordered for himself. "I would like the filet mignon."

Blaine's smile faltered. "What? Kurt! Are you falling off the wagon?"

"I need to tell you something." Kurt turned to Blaine, their waiter temporarily forgotten. "I am not now, nor have I ever been, vegan. I was only at Vegan Club that night because I promised Rachel I would go with her to the first meeting. Then I couldn't stop going because of...well, you."

Kurt's face looked terrified, like he was worried Blaine might up and leave the date due to his confession. Instead, Blaine laughed.

"Oh, thank god!"

"What?" Kurt seemed confused yet relieved.

"I've never been vegan a day in my life either. I'd noticed you from day one of orientation and I thought you were the cutest guy I'd ever seen. So I followed you into Vegan Club without knowing it was Vegan Club, because I thought you'd be more likely to go out with me if we shared interests."

"Oh my god. You can't be serious." Kurt was wheeze-laughing so hard he collapsed into Blaine's chest. Blaine put his arms around Kurt and pulled him closer before remembering the waiter who was slowly backing away from their table with an amused expression.

"Wait!" Blaine called. "I'd like to change my order to the six cheese pizza, if that's okay."

That only made Kurt lose it even further. "I can't believe this." He settled down enough that he straightened out and looked into Blaine's eyes. "You're perfect."

"You're perfect," Blaine responded.

"And we're perfect together," they sang the Wicked line at the same time.

The magic of the moment led them into a tender first kiss that knocked them sideways until Blaine pulled back just enough to whisper, "That amazing cheesecake you made last week wasn't really vegan, was it?"

BLUE SEA  Chapter 4: Voices in the Night

Based off of “Delicious” from Pet Shop of Horrors

Rating: Mature

AU: Don Thousand’s Pet Shop

Word Count: 2564

Relationships: Hellshark/Disqualifyshipping (IV/Ryoga) and past Accidentshipping (IV/Rio)

Warnings: Manslaughter, dysfunctional relationships, brief mentions of sex, language, alcohol

Summary: Thomas brings Ryoga home from the pet shop and remembers the night of the accident.

   “There we are,” I said softly as I eased Ryoga into the pool. “Welcome back.” 

    As much as I had wanted to take Ryoga home right then and there, I knew that I was ill-prepared. He deserved the best. I couldn’t have transported the entire vase that he came in with me nor could I bear to leave him in his small traveling tank for long. Thus, I left him at the pet shop for a few days in order to prepare his new living quarters. Every day without him was hell, the longing eating up my stomach in sharp, desperate pangs. The day before I brought him home, his face had filled my every waking hour. 

      Even as I drove him here, my heart was filled with pain, seeing him in his cramped traveling quarters. Whenever I looked back at him, his eyes were filled with hurt and a slight frown tugged at his lips. 

   “Of course I’m not going to leave you in there like that! When we get back home, you’ll be amazed at what I did with our pool! It’s the perfect place for you!” I had fervently promised my husband. 

    I don’t know if he understood me, but I had continued to talk all the way home, hoping that he would recover at least a bit of his memories from before. Or, at least he would cheer up. It hurt to see his face twisted in pain like that. He looked so...vulnerable. Throughout the ride home, he had rotated between peeking his head out of the tank, arm resting on the sides to quietly lying down on the glass bottom, staring up at the ceiling, gills opening back and forth. After I took him out of the car, I promised him that he would never experience such discomfort again. 

   I intended to make certain of that promise. 

       Before the accident, we had decorated his room together. The walls were painted a dark shade of cornflower blue and were filled with his band posters. He had a window to let in the sunlight along with a sunroof in his bathroom. I had pulled his black curtains shut after the wedding, unable to bear the thought of sunlight fading out his possessions. I couldn’t bring myself to part with the clothes he had already put into his closet either. The mixture of jackets, band tees, jeans and the occasional leather jacket were still sitting there, most likely collecting dust. 

    When I redecorated the pool room, I had gone into Ryoga’s room for the first time in days. It still smelled of fresh paint. He still hadn’t properly spent a night in this bedroom. Not even a hint of his cologne wafted about. I supposed that it was a blessing in its own way. There weren’t as many memories here. Carefully, I removed a few of his posters and his clock. Photographs. Jewelry. His favorite retro stereo and accompanying CDs. I brought them down into the pool room and distributed his possessions everywhere. 

   Plish. Ryoga swam around his new quarters slowly, drinking in the sights. I had placed his favorite leather recliner by the poolside, next to his stereo. His posters and photographs were now framed and placed on the walls. The large window at the back and front of the pool room were framed with dark curtains, similar to the ones in his room. Next to the poolside, I had put a cabinet containing all of his accessories so that he could easily access his jewelry without having to crawl out. It was bolted to the floor in order to prevent any accidents. 

     Under the sun, I watched as his tail caught the sunlight. A smile filled my face. Throughout the year, sunlight changed in accordance with the seasons. Winter sunlight was soft and gentle, filling the world with what was necessary but not to excess. It made things look old, as if on the verge of fading. Spring sunlight was verdant and vivid, adding more color to the world. It served as the bridge between the bright colors of summer and the muted colors of winter. Summer sunlight was yellow and bright, giving everything under it a halo. It made memories shine with joy. And autumn sunlight...there was nothing like it. My favorite season had sunlight that was golden and rich. It dyed the world in the hues of nostalgia, warm and glowing. 

   I couldn’t wait to see Ryoga under the golden sunlight, especially surrounded by the hues of the garden. Red, orange and yellow would go well with his tail and complexion. His pictures under the autumn skies would be stunning. I also couldn’t wait to see him under the hues of spring, amidst the rejuvenating greenery of the garden. He had always looked so vivid against the greens of spring with his blue eyes, pale skin and violet locks. They were the colors of flowers. Perhaps that was why he loved spring the most. It was when he was most beautiful. 

   Who could blame him?

     Ryoga poked his head out of the water and rested his hand on the marbled border. He looked past me and out the window, now filled with late summer fruits. I followed his gaze and saw our fig tree with dark fruits splattered on the ground in mushy red piles. Underneath the tree in the humid summer heat, we had feasted on those sweet, soft fruits. It was always a running joke between us that the figs looked like a woman’s milky breasts, the white sap trickling out of the plucked tip in slow, sticky rivulets. Since the wedding, I couldn’t bear to look at them until now. 

    I looked back at Ryoga to find that he was already on the other side of the pool, looking up at the cabinet curiously. If only he could speak to me again. I’ve come to miss his jibes and relentless teasing. Walking over, I slowly opened the lowest cabinet to show him the array of accessories. The sparkling gems caught his attention and he curiously reached out for a necklace. 

   “I’ll help you put that on if you’d like,” I offered, coming closer. 

   At the sound of my voice, Ryoga disappeared into the waters and swam away. I tried not to take it too personally. After all, he had fallen three stories into frigid waters. Bzzt. 

    Oh.

     I clicked off my phone.

    “Time for lunch,” I announced as I walked over to the fridge. 

    I took three fish out of the fridge and turned around. Plish. Ryoga resurfaced, his eyes wide in anticipation as he saw the fish. For the first time since our wedding, a smile filled his face. My heart soared and I quickened my pace. He swam towards me and excitedly resurfaced, eyes sparkling with delight. I kneeled down and offered the fish to him. Deftly, he grabbed onto one of the fish and yanked it out of my hands, the scales brushing against my skin. He voraciously sank his teeth into the spine of the fish, sharp teeth ripping into the scales. I chuckled as he noisily ate. 

   “Still no charm and an overabundance of rudeness, huh?” I teased. 

    He ignored me and continued to eat. I put the two remaining fish by the side of the pool and cleaned my hands off with a nearby sanitizer. 

    “Let’s listen to some of your music,” I said as I walked over to his stereo. 

    I turned it on and selected one of his burned CDs. It was a lost art, according to him. Apparently, no one knew how to burn CDs anymore. I had never understood why he preferred CDs over our streaming technologies, but I always indulged him during holidays and birthdays. They were difficult to find, often sequestered in antique stores or sold in bundles of outdated technology. Pressing the play button, I then walked back to the jewelry cabinet to close it. The sounds of a soothing bassline started up as I looked into the cabinet. A silver ring caught my attention and I stiffened, quickly closing the compartment. 

     I walked back to the stereo to adjust the volume, prickles crawling up my spine. I watched Ryoga as he ate, the two silver rings on his fingers catching the light. The ring back in the cabinet had been Rio’s wedding gift to him. She had never gotten the chance to give it to him and it had arrived in the mail a few days after the accident. It had come in a plain box, nestled in white satin. “To: Ryoga, From: Rio,” was written on the inside of the lid in permanent marker. There had been no return address. 

   Unbidden, the contract resurfaced in my mind. Clause one: You must not show him to others. Even if it was his own sister? I should have asked for further clarification. But why shouldn’t Rio be allowed to know? If there was anyone that had grieved more than me, it was most definitely her. My hand crept to my pocket and towards my phone, yet it stilled just before I wrapped my fingers about it.    

        The order had been loud and clear. She never wanted to see me again after the wedding. My brows furrowed in contemplation. Surely, she would have wanted to know that Ryoga was alive though? Besides, it was the right thing to do. Then why couldn’t I do it?

     I saw her grief-filled expression under the moonlight as the sirens of the police and naval guard arrived. Her eyes had burned like fire that night, filled with our long and twisted history. First the fire. Then the awkward reconciliation. Stolen glances. Brief brushes of fingers. More intentional touching. Lighting-fast kisses before a duel. Her warm skin on mine, the cold metal of the hallways freezing me to the bone. The betrayal that filled her eyes when I proposed to her twin brother instead of her. 

    “It’s a publicity stunt,” I had said in a hushed voice. “Good for the press and for our careers.” 

     The pale moonlight gave her magenta eyes an otherworldly glow. It dyed her hair silver and her skin was milk white. The white dress she wore fluttered in the wind, the diaphanous fabric teasing me. She was an otherworldly creature of the light. I regarded her cold gaze there, forcing myself to move towards her despite the ice in my veins. Hesitantly, I reached out to her, afraid that she would shatter in my embrace. My shoulders heaved in relief when she didn’t disappear as I held her tight, the ocean breeze and the rocking of the ship melding with our heartbeats. 

    “I will always love you,” I promised. 

    Thunk. Both of us jumped at the sound. Quickly, I turned to see Ryoga, silhouetted against the bright interior of the ship. With the golden light behind him, his hair appeared black and his face was marred by long shadows. His navy blue suit had become a dark shroud and I could not see his eyes. Even the white flowers in his lapel looked gray in that moment. The shadow to Rio’s light. 

    “What are you doing with her?!” he shouted as he rushed towards me. 

    In the moonlight, his sapphire eyes shone with fury and hurt. Before I could answer, he grabbed my collar and shoved me against the deck railing. 

    “Ryoga!” gasped Rio. 

    “Stay out of this!” he snapped, his eyes drilling holes into me. “How long have you been doing this with her?!”

     His cheeks were flushed with red and his breath smelled of champagne as he pushed me once again. 

   “Did you just use me to get closer to my sister?!”

    His voice had broken at the last word, yet his face remained engulfed in rage. Roughly, he pushed me harder against the railing, my back teetering over the edge. The ocean beneath us was an inky black abyss. 

    “C-calm down…! Your s-sister was merely worried about you—about us!” I cried weakly. 

    Ryoga’s eyes narrowed, catching my lie instantaneously. But it was true. Almost everyone at the wedding knew that we fought regularly. Spats peppered our relationship, which was always followed by angry and passionate sex. Those were always the best, with his teeth sinking into my skin and my nails marking up his body. Just not this time. 

   “You fucker!” he screamed. “I trusted you! I knew something was off when Rio started coming to our matches more often! It was because of you!” 

  Being a high-profile prosecutor had left Rio with little free time. It must have hurt when Ryoga realized that she had made time out of her busy schedule not for him but for me. I looked at his face and noted that his lips were trembling. Despite the alcohol he had consumed, his eyes were filled with lucidity. 

    “Listen…!” I gasped as I teetered over the edge of the railing. “It was casual! We—”

    In an instant, Ryoga positioned me over the edge, the deck railing digging into my lower back. I saw the bright expanse of the stars before me, my blood rushing through my ears. Rio’s cry weakened his grip and I felt my instincts kick in. Quickly, I freed myself from Ryoga’s grip and pushed him away. I circled him and he rushed towards me. We struggled for a few moments as we exchanged blows, making our way down the empty deck. I narrowly avoided a kick and slammed Ryoga against the railing. Distantly, I heard Rio crying for help. 

   Still, Ryoga kept trying to punch and kick at me, even as a bruise was forming on his cheek. He swung towards my face and I roughly pushed him away, my muscles rippling with fury. Too late, I realized as I saw his body flip over the railing. It seemed to happen in slow motion. 

     The shine of his shoes against the moonlight. The way his curls flew in all directions of the wind. How his furious expression melted into shock and then fear. How his mouth opened up into a scream. His corsage, fluttering loose and scattering in the wind. 

    “Ryoga…!” I yelled, sticking out my hand. 

    It felt as if I was trapped in gelatin, my limbs refusing to move fast enough. All that lifting. All that training. And it couldn’t even save him. It only killed him. Our fingers briefly touched, briefly interlocking before pulling away. The coldness of his skin shocked me, as if he was already beneath the waves. Rio’s scream melded with her brother’s and mine. The once-peaceful starlit night seemed to be full of nothing but screams in that moment, piercing and endless. And then a small and distant ker-plash as Ryoga’s body sank beneath the waves. 

    I jolted awake with a gasp. 

     “It was an accident,” my manager said. “Plain and simple as that.”

    His voice echoed in my mind as I watched Ryoga swim, the fish long eaten. It wasn’t my fault. As Ryoga passed me by, he didn’t grace me with a single glance. I felt a twinge of relief as he passed me by indifferently. Perhaps this was a gift from heaven. A blank slate with Ryoga who, I knew now, was the love of my life. 

Twins Prompt 9: Socialite

Thanks to @lazulizard and @nikyri-art for egging me on with this one. I thrive off comments, if you have any for this fic, absolutely throw them in the replies!

“Oh wait till you see them, it’s hilaaaarious.”

Katagawa Jr drawled, rolling his eyes for emphasis as his crowd of admirers drank in the theatrics. Basking in the attention of the audience of suits gathered around him and hanging off the young tycoon’s every word, he twirled his now empty martini glass between his fingers with a smirk.

This gala was going well so far, if he said so himself.. and he did, it was his after all, every guest carefully selected from his roster of corporate aristocracy, business glitterati, sycophants… all eyes on him, exactly as he deserved. He was the star of the show.

Every guest that was, bar the targets of his current mockery, who were more of a required invite based on their current relationship than people he actually had any interest in socialising with.

“They call themselves the -haha-, the “Twin Gods”, can you imagine.“ He wheezed, raising a dramatic hand to his chest in mock pain as his audience laughed in response, muttering amused agreement under their breath.

Snatching a new cocktail from the waiter who’d finally noticed he was running dry (and who he’d make sure wouldn’t have a job by the end of the night), he smirked into the glass as he sipped, enjoying the atmosphere. The polite tittering chatter of the social elite that filled the beautifully dressed room was sweeter music to his ears than the ambient harp being played by the marble arched entrance to the event, and infinitely more interesting.

“Shameful, honestly. Pair of filth-encrused bandits with notions of grandeur. Barely capable of dressing themselves, wouldn’t know a fitted piece of clothing if it bit them. The first time I met them -sip- good lord…”

Refined chuckles from the group around him, eager to get on the Maliwan execs good side. Playing them like that harp, in complete control and relishing it.

He was the most powerful man here, he’d made sure of that when planning the guest list, and the knowledge he was the golden calf in the room? That all eyes were on him, that everyone wanted a piece? It was worth the 8 digit price tag for this event.

It was worth every cent.

“Troy, that’s the -haha-, the “man” of the pair, scrawny freak that he is, his pants were an inch from falling off the entire meeting, didn’t know how to properly fasten them. Scum has never heard of a shirt either. Everything on display. Ufff -sips - Nothing left to the imagination, but what do you expect from Pandoran filth?“

More laughing, another wave of satisfied pride through his chest, another 4 billion in acquisitions as he won his crowd over to Maliwan’s side, one by one.

“And the woman, Tyreen… -ugh- if you could call that thing a woman, rough. Vulgar, body like a twelve year old boy. -sips- You’ve seen the type. All mouth, you know? No skill with it.. ahahah.”

Less laughter this time, odd, because he had been sure that last line was going to land well..

“ -ahem- Honestly, at least they’ll put on a show once they arrive. Good entertainment is so hard to find, I’m sure you all can agree..”

He was losing them, and he felt a quick jolt of self doubt pang through his stomach. Eyes over his shoulders and not on him, mustachioed older men shuffling to the side in their overly tight suits to look past him. They were meant to be looking at him, this was his gala, who the hell dared to distract th-

“Katagawa…” That rolling, smooth voice he loathed, and it was coming from justbehind him. 

Fantastic. They were here. Now it was time for the show to start at their expense, he smiled to himself, feeling a thrill of cruel excitement.

Letting out a long, exaggerated sigh, he grimaced. Pouted as he brushed his silken lapels with a huff, making it as clear as possible to his audience that what he was about to do was an unwanted chore, then, finally, turned to “greet” the Calypsos…

Only to choke into a wide eyed cough as his eyes landed on the stunning man standing behind him, vitriol he’d readied to spew at them catching in his throat.

That.. that was a custom Auscher suit, he’d not seen one since he was last on Dionysus for that board merger with his father. How much had this filthbag paid to get a fitted Auscher?

Black, flawless cut, hanging off Troy’s lithe frame in a way that somehow emphasised the curve of every muscle and breadth of his shoulders. Deep scarlet Athenian silk shirt ( goddamn he’d been bidding on one of those for 6 months now ), matching Auscher black tie, perfectly planned in its casual looseness to draw the eye up his formidable height, past the glinting golden points in that wide, confident grin, and up to the glowing siren markings that curved around his devilish blue eye, thick crest of inky hair swept back in a loose waxed upstyle.

Katagawa coughed into his fist again, spilling his martini with each jolt as he blushed furiously, this was not how this was meant to go, how the hell was the Calypso scum dressed better than he was.

Laughter from his audience, but at him now as he continued to choke, and more again when the bandit filth clapped a heavy black metal gauntlet down on his shoulder. Hard, knocking the wind out of his lungs and stifling the cough.

A wave of expertly selected cologne flowed off Troy as he subtly twisted the clawed hand, spiced wood, citrus notes, gun oil.

Katagawa’s cheeks were on fire, barely managing to contain how furious he was to be showed up like this. At his own gala, by Pandoran scum, smiling at him like he was the focus of the event… how dare he, who the hell does he think he is.

He awkwardly shifted with the claw as it moved him, scarlet light peeking between the mirror black joints as the glowing red talons pierced the cloth of his suit, turning him to face the crowd and resting still on his shoulder in a mock gesture of friendship as the pompous asshole towered behind him.

“…so kind of you to invite us, we’ve been looking forward to this all month.”

Razor sharp claws dragged into the shoulder of his tailored suit jacket, ruining it tear by tear as the crowd watched on and laughed at his expense, enthralled by the show he’d promised them would be enjoyable earlier. All eyes on the beautifully finished man looming behind him, and he seethed as Troy continued in that sensual, mocking voice.

“My sister and I are delighted to get closer to your, hmm… deliciously distinguished guests… she’s actually already making her introductions, so you’ll have to excuse her.” Troy purred with a sultry wink, the prosthetic fist’s pressure increasing on Katagawa’s shoulder as he leaned down on the smaller man, completely aware of the rage boiling under his skin.

“I on the other hand… couldn’t resist coming to greet my dear friend, Junior.”

-You FUCKER what did you just call me in front of these people-

Another wave of laughter and some raised glasses to Troy’s humor, his teeth were grinding so hard he was shaking. If this was anywhere else the scum’s brains would be splattered across the floor behind him by now, but he could do nothing, not in front of the socialites.

“…Aren’t you going to introduce me?”

-… Don’t react, you can do this, he’s trying to play you. He wants you to lose composure. Remember, you’re in control, not him.-

“This.. is.. -deep breath- Troy Calypso, head of COV med-”

“Title.”

Troy’s teeth were so close to his ear he could feel the minted breath on his cheek as he was so a skillfully interrupted, another wave of tittering from the crowd. Katagawa felt his stomach lurch. How the hell was this happening.

“… excuse me?” He hissed, layer of carefully curated social politeness starting to crack away.

This was.. his.. gala.. how was he being upstaged this easily, how was he losing control to this echonet celebrity.

“My title, Katagawa.”

He’d kill him. He’d kill him this smarmy asshole as soon as this event was over, he’d wipe him off the face of the shithole planet he crawled out of.

“Of course… this is God King Calypso, head of the COV media department, one of the…”

It caught in his dry mouth.

“…one of the “Twin Gods”.“

A hard slap to his shoulder jolted more of his cocktail over the lapels of his suit, and Troy’s raucous laugh filled the air as he stepped in front of him and moved to join the crowd eager to converse with the new star of the event.

“Thanks! Glad to be here, it really is an honor, but I best get to know these fine people more intimately, talk later, Junior!”

Katagawa’s hand shook so hard the glass fully emptied, too lost in fury to register the dampness down his chest. He glared murder into that beautifully fitted coat back as Troy was engulfed by the clamoring crowd, and retreated to the pillars near the buffet table to try and consider HOW this had just happened. 

- Hours later -

Scum. SCUM. Floating around the gala, dropping naturally into conversations he shouldn’t have any understanding of and leaving each with new private echonumbers, new acquisitions, new sponsors. Where did he learn this? The ease of it, like he was a damn natural.

How dare he be here like this. He was invited as a joke, he was invited to be made fun of, an idiot bandit who got lucky, someone who’d not pick up on the subtle mockery of the elite who would surround him, someone to enjoy treating like filth for the evening.

Finally, he was coming this way at last, eyeing up the gourmet feast spread across the massive tables like the disgusting scavenger he was. 

Katagawa’s knife edge focus stayed on him as he hurriedly fixed his hair, pulled at his suit front to neaten up in preparation for the encounter. He’d had enough. This asshole was going to listen to him, it was his gala. His money. HIS GUESTS that this filth had hogged most of the night, no one even glancing at Katagawa since he’d arrived. He’d pay for this.

He waited for Troy to get within reach, then grabbed his forearm with as much force as he could, hoping to bruise the solid muscle in his fist as he awkwardly pulled the much larger man out of sight of the crowd and into the shadows behind the pillar.

Troy’s calm demeanor only fueled the hatred he felt at this moment, still pushing a Hors d'oeuvre into his mouth as the Executive shook in rage in front of him, fingers digging into his flesh arm.

“Are you TRYING to show me up, you scum.” Katagawa hissed up into his face, while Troy chewed open mouthed.

“This isn’t funny, swanning around like you.. like you belong here. Do you have any idea how important half of these people are. Do you have any idea what they even do? Of the power they have, while you flounce around them like some little slut desperate for their attention?”

No response, stunning blue eyes still lazily gazing down at him as he swallowed, raising a bladed finger to idly scratch at his jawbone.

“Oh.. am I boring you?“

That enraging grin again, followed by an eager nod, the cleverly crafted warning in Katagawa’s question completely disarmed without any real effort.

He snapped, this was too much. It was all too much, he was an intensely power man, he was Katagawa Jr, Maliwan exec, this slob was nothing. Nothing. He pulled him down with all his strength, rage overflowing as Troy barely moved in response.

“You… y… y-you’re disgusting. You’re disgusting, you hideous freak!”

Spittle shot from between Katagawa’s teeth as he panted in rage, and Troy sighed, raising the taloned gauntlet to carefully pry the weakening fingers from around his arm.

“Awww, little buddy. Envy does not suit you.”

That shit eating grin, that smug, suave, beautiful face, looking down at him like he was some petulant child as he returned Katagawa’s fist to his side.

“Maybe you should have done a little foot work researching us instead of making assumptions about how tonight would go, huh?”

That fucking smile, too many teeth, the hairs raised on the back of Katagawa’s neck. He’d.. he’d misjudged this hadn’t he.

“I know who every person in this room is. I know their statistics, their roles. Their portfolios.”

“I know what they want, and I know how to give it to them. I know how to be better than you, at being you.”

Cold sweat broke out across his back, it was getting hard to breath under this looming, terrifying visage, bearing down on him, icy blue and glowing red in the shadows he’d dragged them both into.

“That, Katagawa.. is my job. And I am very, very good at my job..”

He laughed quietly, canines glinting gold in the dim light.

“You.. you know I’m a Siren, right?”

“You know what Sirens are good at? You know what we do so well?”

He reached up with those talons, dim scarlet glow lighting the underneath of his face as he carefully straightened Katagawa’s tie for him.

“We lure.”

“… We seduce, we tempt, it’s what we’re built for. We call out across the dark tides of space and we bring what we hunger for to us, and once we have what we want from you…”

A sudden biting pressure around his neck, and he was lifted as he choked. Troy’s nose nearly touching his, breath struggling in his ribs as his eyes frantically flickered in panic around the room. No one paying attention. No one seeing the monstrous thing in a stunning suit he’d been so eager to confront moments ago as it held him off the ground by the throat, talons pricking into his skin as he struggled against the clawed prosthetic holding him up so effortlessly.

Troy waited, savoring the moment. Enjoying his prey feebly clawing at the prosthetic so easily crushing its windpipe, eyes wild in terror, staring up into that wolfish, wide smile.

He lowered his head, lips brushing the terrified man’s cheekbone, and whispered:

“… we’ll dash your corpse on the fucking rocks.”

Katagawa gasped in a shaking breath as he was dropped, and stumbling backwards to the ground, holding his bloodied neck in pain as he wheezed in painful lungfuls of air and stared in terror at the man still standing so relaxed above him.

He flinched nervously as Troy suddenly clapped his hands together, shifting persona with practised ease.

“…honestly though, great party bro, su-perb shit. The food, WOW. I’ll make sure to give you a call out next stream, yeah?”

God King Calypso turned on his heel and sauntered back into the crowd, all too eager to part and welcome the real star of the show.

Job done.

And he was very, very good at his job.

Isn’t there anything else to talk about?

Hi, this time I have ventured into HP universe.

Teacher/student AU.

*********************************************************************************************** After five years of attending the Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry, Hermione Granger thought, that she was used to many of the ocurrencies of the magical world, even though she was of non-magical descent. But as it usually is, the suprises come, when you least expect them. There was no way of knowing, that her sixth year would turn out to be quite life-changing. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. That first day of September was just like any other beginning of the school year. She had breakfast with her parents, who took her to the King's Cross station in London, from where she took the train towards another school year at Hogwarts. What she didn't know however, was that the Fate had prepared for her a completely different school year, far from anything she could have imagined. And it all started that day. The train ride was relatively unveventful. Apart from patrols on the train and some snide comments from Pansy Parkinson, everything seemed fine. Hermione spend the rest of the ride with her friend Neville, trying to find his ever escaping pet toad. Upon arrival to the castle, all the students were ushered to the Great Hall to await the first years' sorting ceremony and the following feast. As ordinary as it might have seemed (she has been through it each year of her Hogwarts studies), this moment was supposed to have far more greater significance for her, but she didn't know it yet. When she entered the Great Hall, she felt unusually excited without any apparent reason. They sat at their usual spot at the Gryffindor table, but Hermione was fidgeting, as if something were bothering her. 'Hermione, are you okay?' Neville asked. 'What? Oh, sorry, I'm fine. I think it's just a little bit of stress from starting new school year, with the bigger workload due to preparation for NEWTs next year. Don't worry,' she smiled at her friend. Her eyes roamed the hall. The starry sky above them somewhat calming her. The doors opened and a group of around twenty first years entered, their looks mostly nervous, a bit scared and definitely amazed. The sorting could begin. Professor Flitwick brought a wooden stool with an old ragged pointed hat. The seam above the brim opened up and the Sorting hat started singing its song, presenting the four houses of Hogwarts, each of them enhancing a different personal quality. Then the sorting itself started with Andrews, Sonia (Ravenclaw). Hermione really tried to pay attention to the hat and the new students, but her mind simply could't focus on what was going on. It was as if she had an out-of-body experience, watching herself from afar, sitting there at the Gryffindor table with Neville and the rest of her housemates. The only thing she could really see and absorb, was a new person sitting at the teacher's table. He had dark hair, pale skin, he was wearing black robes. The bespectacled man seemed to be around his mid-twenties. He was seemingly watching the sorting, though his gaze seemed a little bit unfocused. When the sorting came to an end with the last student joining the Gryffindor table, the headmistress McGonagall stood up to give her annual speech. She stressed all the rules (do not roam the hallways at night, do not enter the Forbidden Forest, no spells in the hallways...) and after that came the time to introduce the new members of the teacher's board. 'Let me welcome between us our new professors, professor O'Connell, taking over the Astronomy classes, and professor Potter, who will be teaching Defense against the Dark Arts.' In that moment all of the students started talking among themselves. No one could contain their excitement. The Boy-Who-Lived, the savior of the wizarding world would be their teacher? How is that possible? Did anyone know about it? 'Quiet, please.' McGonagall's voice echoed through the Great Hall. 'Professor Potter will be a teacher like any other in this school and I request you to treat him as such. He is by no means to be treated as a spectacle and I expect all of you to respect his privacy. Thank you.' After the final words of the headmistress, the tables filled with delicious food and the students and professors dug in. *********************************************************************************************** After the feast, Hermione helped the fifth year prefects gather all the first years to take them to their common room. Neville was waiting for her at the door, so they could walk together and talk a little before going to sleep. 'So,' Neville started hesitantly, 'what do you think?' 'About what?' Hermione asked. 'A-about the new professors?' 'Well, to be honest, even though I respect professor McGonagall, I don't think that selecting a celebrity like Harry Potter is good for the students.' 'What? Why?' surprised Neville asked. 'He beat You-Know-Who, he survived the death curse. Twice. He-' 'I know. I have read all about that in his biography and in The Great Wizards of The Current Times and Magical Society of 20th Century. But it all seems so far fetched, unreal, like he survived only by sheer dumb luck. And I'm not entirely sure that qualifies him as a suitable teacher for the Defense Against the Dark Arts. That is all.' 'But Hermione, he worked as an auror. I'm sure he must have had some skills when it came to battling dark magic,' Neville argued. 'I guess we will see in the next DADA class.' Hermione ended their debate as they entered the Gryffindor common room. As it seemed, the new DADA professor was all the students were talking about. The boys were excited to learn new spells, guaranteed to best all their opponents, while girls were gushing about his good looks and fame. There were also some comments on his private life, but Hermione couldn't be bothered with all that. She wasn't really the type to judge the book based on its cover. She walked the stairs to enter the dorm room she shared with two more girls, Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown. Both of them were currently sitting on their beds in their pyjamas, chatting excitedly about something. 'Hi, Hermione. How was your summer?' Parvati asked. 'Hello, it was nice, we went to France with my parents. How about yours?' 'Oh, don't even ask. My family and I went to India to visit our family there. Apparently, my great uncle was trying to set up an arranged marriage for me. He introduced us to the guy he picked, he must have been at least thirty. Ewww!' Parvati scrunched her nose. 'And how did it go in the end?' 'Well, my parents politely declined saying, they have already selected a partner for me here in Britain. Which, of course, is not true, but worked well enough to get great uncle to stop looking for suitable suitors for me.' 'What about you Lavender?' Hermione asked the other girl. 'Well, you know how it goes. We went to my grandma's and stayed there for almost the whole summer. But,' Lavender held up a finger, 'this summer there was a very yummy boy staying in the house across the street. So he made my summer a little bit more bearable.' Lavender said with a smirk. 'But let's get to the real topic of the day - what do you think of our newest addition to the teacher's board of Hogwarts?' 'Why is everyone so smitten by him? Isn't there anyone or anything else to talk about?' Hermione couldn't hold back her annoyance. 'Isn't there any other juicy piece of gossip worthy your time other than Harry Potter?' Parvati, surprised at Hermione's outburst, replied: 'Not at the moment.' 'Aaargh!' Hermione rolled her eyes and turned to prepare herself for bed. 'What is so special about him?' 'He is the Boy Who Lived,' Lavender started. 'The only known person to survive death curse.' 'Also he was the Chosen One, the man who defeated the Dark Lord,' Parvati continued. 'And, of course, he is a celebrity in the wizarding world, the Prophet is following his every move.' 'And his good looks may have also something to do with it.' Parvati finished their rant. 'Oh my god, is this really what it's going to look like during the whole school year?' Hermione asked horrified and somewhat irritated, even though she didn't exactly understand the reason for said irritation. 'Trust me, that we are far from the worst, Hermione,' Lavender replied with a sympathetic smile, that turned into a grin she usually sported when she was about to reveal a really scandalous information. 'I have heard Romilda Vane from 7th year gushing about how gorgeous he is and how she is determined to get him no matter what it takes. Even at the cost of a love potion.' 'This is exactly what I meant!' Hermione exclaimed. 'How can any of us prepare for the exams and NEWTs when the professor himself is such a distracting element?' 'I wouldn't mind him distracting me...' Parvati grinned and winked at both girls. 'Why do I even bother?' Hermione gave up, gathering her things and heading to the bathroom. She heard girls behind her laugh, their giggles muffled by the closing door.

@the-yarn-witch has been making me a beautiful beautiful creation. I haven’t talked much about it because I didn’t want to make her feel pressured. She’s been at this labor of love for a long time, and I haven’t made it particularly easy for her! I’m patient to the ends of the world, but I love nothing more than a surprise!

So I gave poor Erin a few pics of my bedroom, a plea for her help in making my bed lovely and cozy for winter, and not much else. You see, as much as I love a surprise, I also like to let artists be inspired by their work. A chef will never make a more delicious dish than when they are allowed to select the most beautiful ingredients... and so is the same for fiber art. And look. Look at this result!

I’ve literally just shaken it out of the box and bag. But I couldn’t stand to wait another minute to share.

My bedroom looks a mess. Almost like two distant loves stumble about in the dark, tending tiny humans, collapsing to sleep when they allow. Because that’s about it these days. So please excuse that. But feast your eyes! Is it not the most beautiful thing you have ever seen!!!?!

Erin dubbed her “Fat Freddie Mercury” because she’s an extra wide queen (aka Big Dumb Blanket, BDB), which is seriously perfect and made me cackle to read. I can’t wait to crawl under tonight.

Thanks @the-yarn-witch. Thank you so so much. I’ll cherish it forever.

Italian Adventures Part II: Bologna

Finally, the time has come - welcome to Italian Adventures Part II: Bologna!

Boyfriend introduced me to the gorgeous city of Bologna not long after we got together, and I can’t help but wonder if that’s why it holds such a special place in my heart. On our first trip there, I fell head-over-heels for the city & ever more smitten with Boyfriend. We’ve been back a handful of times since that first visit, & every time - without fail - we dream of uprooting everything we have here in Dublin & running off to the Emilia-Romagna capital. It’s romantic, it’s quaint & peaceful, it miraculously remains somewhat untainted by tourism, and it’s the birthplace of one of our favourite meals: the mighty ragu. 

Bologna is known as ‘La Grassa’ in Italian - which translates to ‘the fat’ in English - & it isn’t hard to see why: you will be extremely hard pressed to have a bad meal in the city. Although I’ve included a list of our favourite restaurants below, use that more as a guideline to get out & find the places that work for you; we’ve eaten at a hell of a lot more restaurants than are listed here, but these are our old faves. Wherever you find yourself, please don’t miss the opportunity to enjoy two dishes - tagliatelle al ragu & gramigna alla salsiccia - both of which are specialties of the city. You can thank us when you get home. 

As with our Italian Adventures Part I: Florence guide, there is a huge amount of recommendations in this post. To make life easier, I’ve streamlined everything into six sections: Stay / Coffee / Eat / Drink / Museums + Attractions / Places to See + Things to Do. The difference between the last two sections is an entry fee; Museums + Attractions are all paid entrance, while the Places to See + Things to Do are free. 

Happy travelling, friends!

S T A Y

Airbnb  //  we stayed in the most fantastic apartment on our last visit. The flat - Silent Bright Apartment -  is located a stone’s throw from Strada Maggiore & was honestly the best Airbnb experience we’ve ever had. It was spacious and clean, it had a balcony, it overlooked the blazing rooftops of the city, the kitchen was extremely well equipped for cooking, the bed was amazing, and there was a bathtub in the bedroom. The location was about an eight minute walk to the main square in the city. Basically: it. was. perfection. Added bonus: there was a totally adorable turtle roaming free in the courtyard below! We named him Sporo and had a really hard time leaving him behind. 

Albergo delle Drapperie  //  if you’re looking for something more central, you can’t really find anything better than this boutique hotel. It’s quite small, and it literally overlooks the bustling market stalls of the old town. If I remember correctly: the hotel is across the road from a beautiful flower shop (feast for your eyes), around the corner from Tamborini (feast for your belly), and a further few minutes walk from Osteria del Sole (feast for your Italian soul), which is kind of exactly where you want to be.

C O F F E E

Caffe Zanarini  //  for us, this is the Gilli of Bologna. The coffee is fantastic, the pastries are even better, and the space has that super Italian feel to it that just warms my heart. We normally nab a spot along the bar & enjoy our breakfast the true Italian way, but once in a while we treat ourselves to the somewhat extortionate prices for a table outside on the square. Let me tell you, it is always worth it, if even just for the people watching. (And pigeons.) A must-visit.  

E A T

Trattoria Serghei  //  three words: gramigna alla salsiccia. After ragu (duh), this is the dish of Bologna, and Serghei do it extremely well. It’s a small, traditionally run family joint that we find ourselves returning to time and time again. The food is always exceptional. We normally go for the ragu & the salsiccia pasta dishes to start, and then share a big hunk of meat as a main - the last time, it was an insanely tender pork shank that was about the same size as Boyfriend’s head. Amen to that! A must-visit. 

Osteria de Coltelli Da Biagio  //  a tiny bit further than some might be willing to venture, but the food is worth it. The dishes are on the larger, heartier side of things, and the meal as a whole was outstanding value for money! ... that said, we did notice the staff favoring the locals over tourists like us, but the quality of the food was high enough for us to let this slide. 

La Capriata  //  wandering along a covered archway off Strada Maggiore one day, we stumbled across LC & decided to stop in for a lazy lunch. We ate in the most beautiful sun-drenched courtyard, surrounded by lemon trees. The food was outstanding. It was super fresh - we had an amazing caprese salad that was beyond delicious - and perfectly traditional; I had an unforgettable ragu with homemade pasta served in a Parmesan bowl. A bowl made of Parmesan = the stuff of dreams! 

Pizza Regina  //  sometimes, you just need a pizza and you need it to be reliable. We opted for the less traditional take-out option and brought our meal with us to Osteria del Sole so we could have it with a beer. We ordered a custom made pizza - n’duja + mozzarella -  & devoured it within five minutes of sitting down. It was amazing! 

Lindt  //  I’m kind of a bit sorry/not sorry for including this in my list. Listen, just hear me out: we had delicious chocolate gelato in the most amazing chocolate hazelnut dipped cones and it was worth every single penny. I regret nothing. 

La Sorbetteria Castiglione  //  for a more authentic gelato experience, we always trek a little bit out of our way and it never disappoints. Our faves are the pistacchio and nocciola!

D R I N K

Osteria del Sole  //  definitely one of our favourite places in all of Bologna. According to my notes, it’s the oldest osteria in the region - 1465 apparently! - and it is so bloody brilliant in it’s simplicity. You make your way through the market streets, buy some antipasti goods in the nearby market, bring it into Osteria del Sole, buy a drink to go with it, and have your lunch picnic style alongside locals at one of the long communal tables. It is fantastic. An experience not to be missed: a must-visit. 

Osteria I’Infedele  //  a recent find. Similar in style to Osteria del Sole in that it was small, filled with locals, cheap & relaxed, but it had a more youthful vibe to it and a wider drinks selection of cocktails etc. 

RosaRose  //  located on Via Clavature, this is a fantastic spot for people watching. Boyfriend & I sat outside for hours one evening, listening to a nearby street musician, soaking up the atmosphere, enjoying the free platter of food that came with our spritzs, watching the sky change from blue to pink to dusk. Perfection. To experience the true Bologna vibe, this is a must-visit. 

Enoteca Italiana  //  a beautiful wine shop that has a small amount of barrels & stools for dining on. We enjoyed some wine with a delicious meat & cheese platter on one of our first visits, and have since returned for breakfast & coffee. 

Bar Senza Nome  //  a fantastically vibrant bar, located on a buzzy street lined with heaps of similar places. However! This one, apparently, is the only bar in Italy that is run & managed by deaf people. It’s amazing! You go in & the walls are lined with how-to sign language photos for ordering your drink! If you aren’t brave enough, the barmaids read your lips and that’s equally as amazing. Such a fantastic experience. Added bonus: you can eat your weight in free monkey nuts while drinking extremely cheap spritzs! Probably our favourite bar in the world. A must-visit. 

Birreria Popolare  //  a hipster craft beer place that was located conveniently near to our apartment. We were drawn in by the beer emoji sign out front, and we sampled some nice Italian beer. Added bonus: if you’re lucky enough to visit at the right time (we were), you get a free platter of food with your drinks!

Le Stanze  //  I kind of liked the thought of this bar more than I actually enjoyed our experience there. It’s located inside an old chapel from the 16th century, and there are original frescoes still lining the walls & the ceilings. It was cool to see the artwork, but there was nothing distinctly Italian about the place. It was overpriced, and too touristy for our tastes.

M U S E U M S  +  A T T R A C T I O N S

Palazzo dell’Archiginnasio  //  one of the most magical, dreamlike buildings I’ve ever visited - somewhat reminiscent of Hogwarts. Boyfriend & I spent ages wandering back and forth along the arched passageways, but the real draw (and the part you have to pay into) is the wooden Teatro Anatomico from the 17th century, where they used to hold anatomy lessons. Worth the €3!

Santa Maria della Vita  //  the lure of this church, although pretty beautiful in its own right, is actually a fantastic group of wooden sculptures hidden in the back. They charge a measly €4 to see the group, but it’s certainly worth it: the scene depicted is the moment that Jesus dies, and honestly they are some of the most expressive pieces of art we’ve seen.

La Due Torri  //  yes, it’s very steep, and yes, it’s claustrophobic.. but it’s worth it for the breathtaking views over the terracotta rooftops of Bologna. Added bonus: it’s super cheap! A must-visit. 

Palazzo Fava  //  a renaissance palace & art gallery space. The very first time we went to Bologna together, we saw an amazing Edward Hopper exhibition here, so it’s definitely worth checking upcoming shows just in case!

Museo Civico Archeologico  //  fantastic archaeology museum to wander around if you find yourself looking for something to do. Particular highlights for us were the beautiful building itself, and the Egyptian exhibition.

P L A C E S   T O   S E E   +   T H I N G S   T O   D O

Market shopping  //  wandering along the tiny streets around Via Drapperie and Via Pescherie Vecchie, you get a real feel for the Bologna lifestyle. The flower shops, the fish stalls, the butchers, the cheese-mongers, we love it all. Our favourite places to stop into for some goodies are Tamburini & Simoni, both of which are reliably great. Definitely a must-visit.

Basilica di San Petronio  //  the central basilica in the middle of Piazza Maggiore. A beautiful internal space, much bigger than it looks from the outside. Note: if you want to take photographs inside the church, you have to pay a small fee. 

R E L A T E D   P O S T S :

Bremen, Germany  //  Paris, France  //  Amsterdam, Holland   //  Copenhagen, Denmark  //  Cork, Ireland  //  Edinburgh, Scotland  //  Westport, Ireland  //  Barcelona, Spain  //  Munich, Germany  //  Vienna, Austria  //  London, UK i - ii - iii  //  Florence, Italy

Feast of Fools

This is a commission I wrote for a person on Furaffinity.net by the name of Vaughnblondetail. It’s the tale of a homeless person who’s given a chance at living a normal life again, at least for a day. But as many people already know, these sorts of things always come with a price.

Timothy sighed as he soaked in the warmth of one of the fanciest showers he’d ever seen in his life. The jets shot from every angle, ensuring total coverage as the water flowed down his body from either side, and from above. The shampoo smelled of a mixture of lavender and melon, giving sweet, flowery scent to replace the stink weeks of grease had given his unwashed hair. The body wash felt even better with its mixture of herb and essential oils to soften his skin as he used the loofa provided to scrub off the dirt, grime, and dead skin he’d accumulated over his time on the streets. The rack even came with a back scrubber to reach the parts of his body he couldn’t reach normally. When his body was clean, he was loathe to leave the comforting stream. It had been so long since he’d been afforded this sort of luxury. But, sadly, all good things must come to an end, and he knew that his benefactor was waiting.

In an effort that seemed almost to cause him physical pain, Timothy reached over to the control pad, and tapped the buttons that would shut off the water pressure. The steam lingered with the refreshing scents of the wash he’d just had, combined with the scents of an automatic air freshening device and scented candles that seemed to shift the scents every five minutes. What kind of technology must this man have purchased to be able to manage such a feat? Tim sighed again as the scent shifted to that familiar blend of sugar, cinnamon, and spice one only smelled when fresh snickerdoodles were coming out of the oven. His mouth began to water, and his stomach growled as he reached for the body towel.

After the cold, rough nights spent in his little hovel in the back alley (or a park bench, if he was lucky), the towel felt like a down comforter. It smelled of wildflowers and honey, calling back memories of his childhood when his mother used to towel him off after a warm bath. He smiled, even as he felt a tear streaming down his cheek. If she could only see him now. She’d hardly recognize him. He hardly recognized himself as he wiped the fog off the bathroom mirror.

Long, shoulder-length blond hair clung to him like sea-kelp. His beard had grown thick, and bushy, obscuring the man beneath in a mat of dripping hair. His vivid green eyes had been subdued by the bloodshot red that came from lack of sleep and proper nourishment. Even to his own eyes, he looked like a tramp.

“Not anymore,” he whispered to himself as he reached for the scissors and electric razor the staff had provided while he’d been in the shower. His hands trembled as he slid his fingers through the loops of the scissors and brought them to the edge of his wet beard. For the first time in months, he would have a proper shave.

When he’d finished, at last, he looked on his handiwork from the mirror. His hair had begun to dry, so he quickly took the thick silver brush, and rushed to get his hair properly taken care of, before it had the chance to harden into painful snarls. When the work was complete, his hair shone in the fluorescent lights, and seemed almost to dance, as though it were happy. Tim chuckled. After all this fine treatment, how could he be anything else?

He looked down at the brush and couldn’t help but admire its craftsmanship. The handle had been crafted out of the finest silver and brass that flowed upwards around the bristles of the brush. He casually fingered the rough bristles and smiled at the familiar sound of hairs snapping like playing cards in a bridge shuffle. A boar’s head had been painstakingly etched into the metal. Tim ran a gentle finger over the carving, marveling at the time and money it must have taken to achieve something like this. It was a real piece of art.

Almost reluctantly, he put the brush down, and gazed at himself in the mirror. His once-trim figure had now turned gaunt. The bones of his ribcage had begun to show, and his arms, once strong and determined, had grown thin and frail. He leaned heavily on the rose-colored marble as he stared at himself and shook his head. This was a mockery. One night, he’d been promised. One night to have a home, a place to stay, to clean up, to eat real food again, to rest. Just one night. Then he’d have to return to the streets and the harshness of a reality that didn’t care how hard he tried to provide for himself.

“Sir.”

Timothy was jarred from his self-pity as the smooth voice of his benefactor’s butler carried through the intercom.

“If you are ready, Sir, the hair stylist is waiting. I’ve placed a set of clothing for you on the bed. After that, will come your fitting, and then the dinner.”

Timothy sighed and made his way to the bathroom’s door. He pulled it open and stared up at the butler’s protruding brow and thick jaw. His silver-fringed black hair had been carefully parted to the side. His gloves looked closer to baseball mitts, and his back and shoulders remained hunched, whether in an effort to look less imposing or simply out of habit, Timothy couldn’t tell.

“Thank you,” Timothy said as he inched his way towards the bed.

“Any time, Master Timothy,” the butler rumbled. “Master Collin was most insistent that you receive every courtesy. And considering your–” he cleared his throat “–unique background, I can understand why.” In a move that was very un-butlerlike, he rested one of his heavy gloved hands on Timothy’s shoulder and gave a kindly smile. “I was there once, myself. You’ll find your way. Most of the master’s guests do, one way or the other.”

“Um . . . thanks, I guess.” Timothy blushed as he broke contact and made his way towards the bed. The gesture had been nice, but rather awkward.

“You needn’t worry about the bathroom. The staff can take care of that.”

“Um, okay, Mister. . ..”

“Simian, Sir. Just Simian.”

“Well, thanks again, Simian.” Timothy smiled weakly. “It’s nice to hear things aren’t completely hopeless. And hey, who knows, with this new haircut, maybe I’ll actually stand a chance of getting a job again.”

Simian smiled. “That’s the spirit. Now off with you, Master Timothy. Your appointment is waiting.”

Timothy smiled more sincerely this time as he made his way towards the door. “Thanks again, Simian.” He waved at the butler, then shut the door behind him.

Simian frowned as he furrowed his brow, and the creases became more pronounced on his forehead. “Odd. He doesn’t act much like a pig. Could something have gone wrong with Master Collin’s scrying?” He shook his massive head. “Preposterous,” he rumbled as he shuffled towards the bathroom, and picked up the brush Timothy had used. It glowed a light blue, and sparked against his gloves, causing them to singe. Simian frowned and bore his teeth in a snarl.

“Now, now, none of that,” he growled as he waved his hand over one of the side drawers. The handle glowed briefly, then returned to normal. He pulled it open to reveal a plethora of brushes, all neatly laid with bristles down and handles up. Horses, dogs, wolves, cats, lions, the collection seemed nearly endless, and even as Simian returned the brush, and strapped it in place, he looked into the space within, and smiled as the drawer continued to stretch far beyond the confines of the counterspace, revealing brush upon brush, each with its own animal carvings. He chuckled to himself. “That never gets old, no matter how many times I see it. I really do have to see about brushing up on spacial distortion some time. It could prove quite useful,” he muttered to himself as he slowly shut the drawer again and waved his hand over the handle. When he pulled the drawer out again, a series of ordinary bathroom supplies cluttered a finite space. He nodded in satisfaction as he shut the drawer, then brought his hand up to view the burns properly. He tutted in frustration at the damage as he saw through the white material to the thick black hide beneath.

“I really do need to speak with Master Collin about those artifacts. Honestly, it’s almost as if he’s testing my resistance.” Simian snorted in disgust as he checked himself in the mirror. He shoved his jaw outwards to get a better view of his sharper canines and flared his nostrils in frustration, then sighed in relief as the scents in the bathroom shifted to the familiar smell of a wet forest just after a storm and tropical fruits just waiting to be picked. His stomach growled as he looked up at his rapidly thickening five o’clock shadow and bushier sideburns.

“The audacity of it all,” he said as his brow ridge extended to form a permanent scowl. He walked over to a large double-door slatted closet and pulled it open as he squatted down on his thick legs. Instead of the usual monogrammed towels that he had been expecting, a bright golden light shone in his eyes. When the light faded, he beheld a cornucopia of bright yellow banana clusters. His mouth watered, and he smiled as he reached in to pluck one of the delicious fruits, while he leaned forward on his fist for support. “Then again, Master does reward rather well, when I succeed.” He expertly peeled the banana, and immediately began to chew contentedly as he felt his collar expand with his neck. He sighed in pleasure as the suit merged into his swelling frame to become shining black fur with a single patch of silver on his back. “I must remember to thank him later,” he said as he pulled out the bushels, took his seat on the heated tiles, and began his meal in earnest, peeling with his large gorilla feet as he feasted on the fruit with his hands.

              The soft lull of the string quartet music filtering through the doors did little to alleviate the sudden discomfort in Timothy’s stomach as he stood before the dining hall’s entrance. His bow tie had been carefully selected, along with every other article of clothing, including the cuff links and button hole. Mister Collin had spared no expense. His hair had been carefully cut to a respectable length, then parted down the middle in homage to the older styles of the Victorian era, before solidifying into place with the assistance of gel, pomade, and more than a little hair spray. He doubted even a steam roller could shift so much as a hair out of place. He gulped again. His throat felt dry. How could he stand here, in this place, to dine with all these men? Surely, Mister Collin’s friends were all just as rich and influential. If he’d known this was going to be a party, he might not have come at all. He nearly bolted when he felt a light hand resting on his shoulder.

           “Feeling a little skittish, are we?” Mister Collin smiled kindly as he squeezed Timothy on the shoulder. He leaned casually on a gold-tipped cane, and chuckled as he ran a hand through his silver hair. His ice-blue eyes were filled with warmth, and just a hint of mischief as he chuckled, then clapped Timothy on the arm. For a man so far in his years, he was surprisingly vivacious, and the implacable hand of age had yet to pluck the fit build his muscles had offered him in his youth. His olive-green suit matched his skin tone quite well as it emphasized his frame without being too tight. “Relax, my boy. Nobody is here to judge you. Far from it, in fact. It’s just a little dinner, and some entertainment afterwards. Who knows. Perhaps you could make some connections here that will help you find the employment you seek?”

           “I don’t know,” Timothy said nervously.

“Trust me, my boy. By the end of this night, I guarantee you’ll be happy as a pig in the mud.”

“You’re sure?” Timothy said as he fiddled with the crystal boar links he’d been given. “And, if you don’t mind my asking, what’s with the whole boar theme? I keep seeing it all over the place.”

Mister Collin chuckled. “Let’s just say it has to do with a bet I made.”

“A bet, huh? This isn’t going to be some kind of joke at my expense, is it?”

“No, no, nothing of the kind,” Mister Collin promised. “My friends and I do this at least once a year. We just like to keep it hush hush.”

“And what happens after?”

“That’s up to you and the others to decide. I’ll leave you with enough to get up on your feet again, if that’s what you wish. Perhaps a recommendation to assist you. My friends and I have a great deal of pull in certain circles.”

“You’re not talking illegal stuff, I hope.”

Mister Collin laughed. “Certainly not, my boy. No need to be so underhanded to get what you want, when you have the American dream. I just happened to achieve the dream a little differently than most.”

“Why does that make me feel less assured?”

“Because I’m a mysterious man who plucked you up off the streets, and nobody acts that way anymore without an angle?”

“Yeah, I’d say that about sums it up,” Timothy said as the two maintained eye contact for several seconds. Then they both burst into a fit of laughter.

“Come along, now. Your dinner awaits.”

The doors swung open slowly to reveal a long oak table that had been expertly varnished and polished to a shine. The carvings depicted various scenes and creatures from nature, including lush forests and vines, thick claws clutching at the legs, lions roaring, and many more. A series of etched grooves came together in the center of the table’s surface to create what looked to be some sort of a star reaching outwards with its flares to touch the edges of the table with vines that blossomed from them.

The table had been occupied by twelve other men of varying ages and builds. Some were completely bald, and covered in tattoos. Others had been carefully preened to give a lofty appearance, including the dirty looks they often gave towards their neighbors. One couple appeared to be college students, though the way they gazed so hatefully towards Mister Collin and the other men standing in the room, one would think they wanted to bite their benefactors’ heads off, rather than thank them.

“Ah, Collin. It’s about time you showed up.” A taller man with black-and-white streaks in his hair smiled, drawing his tight skin up his egg-shaped face. “We were worried we’d have to start without you, you know.”

“Cedric, you know that’s not very fair. As I recall, last year, you made us wait a good two or three hours.”

Cedric blushed, then raised a gloved hand to clear his throat. “Be that as it may, we’re all here now, so I suppose we should begin, shouldn’t we?”

“Do, lets,” Collin said with just a hint of a smirk. “Gentlemen, let’s take our seats. Timothy, you’ll find your chair waiting for you over there, next to . . . my goodness. Is that one of the Jameson boys?”

Cedric shrugged. “He embezzled from his family and got caught. He’s dead to them now. You know how it goes.”

Collin shook his head. “Such a shame. Such a shame.” He sighed as he led Timothy over to the chair. The dark-haired Jameson remained staunchly silent as he stared ahead, not even deigning to acknowledge Timothy’s presence. His hand clenched tightly around the fabric of his pant leg, and his jaw showed clear evidence of gritting teeth as the muscles near his cheek bones strained.

“Pay him no mind, Timothy. You’re my guest. If he has objections he will have to take it up with me, and with his host.”

Jameson’s arm began to tremble as he struggled to control some clearly evident rage. Timothy took his seat hesitantly and did his best to avoid eye contact.

The remainder of the men took their seats, and Mister Collin took the gilded chair at the head of the table. “Gentlemen, welcome to our little gathering. Each of you was chosen for a particular reason to join us this evening. The events that led to your circumstances vary, but the result is the same. It is our hope that, as our guests, you will enjoy this meal we’ve had prepared in your honor, and that you will find yourselves significantly heartened by the end of this evening’s activities. We’re not ones to stand on ceremony, so, please, feel free to begin. If you have need of anything, you need but ask the servants. They’ll gladly assist you in any way they can. Bon appétit, gentlemen.”

In a flurry of motion, decanters were poured, bottles emptied, trays and platters left open on the table, and so much more. The alluring scent of rich food caused all thirteen guests’ stomachs to growl in anticipation. Steak, pork, beans, chicken, fried foods, gravy, sausage, bacon, salad, Asian, Italian, Mediterranean, and so much more. How the table managed to hold it all, Timothy couldn’t understand, but it did, and he couldn’t wait to try it.

Some of the men managed to show proper restraint, exercising manners as they reached to serve themselves, before offering to pass to the others. Unfortunately, some of the men weren’t so kind. Grease and juices clung to their hands as they reached, and grabbed what they could, and stared suspiciously at their fellows as they hovered protectively over their plates. A veritable mountain had begun to form on more than one as the men tore into their meals, and let their appetites do the talking.

Jameson shook his head, and took a casual sip from his wine glass. “Shameful,” he muttered to himself as he lowered the glass, and picked up the corresponding fork and knife, before cutting into his filet mignon.

Timothy blushed as he took his own first bite, and did his best to avoid eye contact. The fried chicken was surprisingly good, and the barbeque even more so. He winced as he watched further down the table, where several grease and sauce stains had already begun to spatter the men’s shirts and suits. How could they do that when their hosts had gone through such trouble just to tailor the suits for them in the first place? He continued to use his fork and knife, being careful to avoid dripping.

“Well, at least you have some class,” Jameson grumbled as he reached for a dinner roll. The bread was warm, and flaky, almost falling apart in the man’s hands as steam rose from its interior. He slathered them artfully with soft butter and took a small bite. A heavy sigh left him as he closed his eyes in pleasure.

“My family taught me how to eat.” Timothy shrugged. “I may not be upper class, but good manners are universal,” he said as he polished off his fifth drum stick and started into the mashed potatoes and gravy.

“So you would think,” Jameson said with a smirk as he chewed further on his steak. “But I think they are inclined to disagree.”

Timothy gaped. “Did that man just take–?”

“A whole hock of ham? Yes, yes he did.”

“Hey, you, rich boy!” the bald one with the tattoos barked over the table, even as he continued to chew. “Toss me some rolls!”

“Honestly,” Jameson growled as he picked up the basket and passed it across the way. It was snatched faster than Jameson had time to react. In a matter of moments, half the rolls were gone, and the men were biting into them like apples, chewing and laughing as they guzzled their drinks to wash the food down.

“Barbarians,” Jameson scoffed as he finished his glass. He raised it and motioned for one of the servants to refill it. “And leave the bottle here. I think it’s going to be a long night, and I’m not sure I have the constitution to face it without a little assistance.”

The servant nodded and relinquished the wine.

Timothy did his best to keep on Jameson’s good side, though it wasn’t that hard as the dinner progressed. Soon one bottle turned to two, then three, then five. Jameson’s cheeks were thoroughly flushed as he drained his glass. “Aw, to hell with it,” he snarled at last, “give me those ribs.” A half rack was promptly dropped onto his plate, and he dug in with gusto, gnawing at the bones as he got every piece of meat he could, while the sauce slathered his face and hands. A collective cheer rose up from farther down the table, followed by a rally of belches and laughter.

“Didn’t know you had it in you, rich boy.” The bald man from earlier chuckled as he downed another glass. “How’s it feel to eat like the rest of us, hmm?”

Jameson didn’t seem to hear him. He continued to scarf at his food, reaching for whatever he could serve, and consuming more, downing another few gulps of wine or sherry as the mood took him. A rather loud series of pops ripped through the air, followed immediately by crude laughter. It would seem some of the men had gas, and they didn’t care who knew it.

Timothy shifted his legs uncomfortably. His suit felt strangely constrictive as he took another bite, this time from an egg roll dipped in orange sauce and stuffed with a piece of orange chicken he’d taken from his plate. Everything tasted so delicious, yet he still felt like he could eat more. His stomach growled, even as he fed it. How was this possible? He stared down the table. The others had been stained and smeared almost beyond recognition. Buttons had been undone, ties torn away or hanging loosely on their chests as their mouths bulged with food. All the grease and sauces had left a dark, sticky stain on their fingers and nails, even as servants removed the old plates and replaced them, so the men could keep eating. He winced as he rubbed his sore jaw. He’d been eating so fast, he hadn’t given it time to rest. Everything felt so swollen. He took a moment to sit back and get his second wind.

Another titanic belch sounded, this time from right next to him. Timothy gaped as he turned to Jameson. In the few moments he’d turned away, the man had undone his tie and the first couple of buttons on his dress shirt. A loud tear sounded as he spread his legs as wide as he could manage and leaned closer to his plate, using his elbows and upper arms for support. “When in Rome,” he grunted in response to Timothy’s stare, and then returned to his plate. His bare legs were exposed beneath the torn material of the suit, and he didn’t even seem to care as a bassoon sounded from beneath his chair.

Timothy blushed and did his best to avoid eye contact, even as he felt his own gut rumbling for release.

“Thanks, sweet cakes. Why don’t you stay a little longer? We could have some fun,” the bald man said as he leered at the waitress refilling his glass. Rather than act offended, she giggled.

“Maybe later,” she said as she caressed his beard stubble. “I like my men thick and meaty.” The man’s nostrils flared as he took a deep breath of what Timothy could only assume was perfume. His eyes rolled in the back of his head, and he panted as the buttons on his suit coat burst, spraying the table with plastic. His throat bobbed, like he was trying to swallow something, but all Timothy could make out was some sort of grunting. Was he trying to clear his throat?

“Muriel,” Cedric said warningly, “this is neither the time nor the place.”

The girl sighed. “Yes, Sir,” she said sadly as she made her way back towards the kitchen.

Timothy coughed. Come to think of it, his throat was feeling rather dry. Maybe it was all the alcohol. He waved one of the serving folk over. “Could I maybe get some water, please?” he rasped. Things really must have been getting bad for him to have that much difficulty. He could swear his voice nearly cracked.

“Of course, Sir,” the servant said obligingly. He soon returned with a crystal pitcher and poured the liquid into a new glass. “Will that be all, Sir?”

“Y-yes. For now. Thank you,” Timothy said. Then he started to cough, and quickly downed several gulps of the life-giving substance. Cool relief flooded his throat, and he sighed contentedly as he did his best to clear it of any obstruction.

“I say, Timothy, are you doing all right?” Mister Collin asked. It was the first time that evening anyone from the head of the table had spoken to him.

“Fine,” Timothy managed to say. Just . . . a little dry,” he grunted as he took a few more gulps. Was he coming down with a cold?

“I recommend you try the chow mein next. The pork is excellently cooked, and the sauce is positively addicting.”

Timothy’s stomach rumbled, even as the suit seemed to cut into his waist. But how could that be? It fit just fine when the tailor had taken his measurements before. He struggled to keep his focus on Mister Collin, rather than the food, even as he tried to keep his rumbling gut from expelling the gas that doubtless waited for release. “Um . . . Mister Collin.”

“Yes?”

“Something feels . . . off. I . . . I think I must’ve eaten at least five or six plates by now, but I still feel hungry. It’s like I haven’t eaten anything. And . . . and the suit you gave me. It’s–.”

“Perfectly understandable for you to eat so much. You’ve been malnourished for far too long. Your body is simply replenishing lost nutrition. As for the suit itself, of course you can keep it. That is what you were going to ask, wasn’t it, my boy?”

Timothy felt so hot. It was hard to think, especially as the churning increased. Was that what he wanted to ask? Everything felt so dizzy.

“Eat, boy. Eat. Put some meat on those bones,” Mister Collins insisted.

Timothy couldn’t breathe. He clawed at his collar and the black silk bow tie came free, followed by the first button. Cool air washed over his neck and chest as he breathed deeply, filling his nose with the delectable scent of the feast. A heaping helping of pork chow mein now sat on his plate. He couldn’t quite recall serving it, though. Had one of the servants done it while he was adjusting?

Eat.

His stomach growled.

Eat.

His mouth watered.

Eat.

His throat bobbed as he gulped. He was so hungry.

“You gonna eat that?” Jameson’s cheeks bulged with food to the point they seemed almost to hang like jowls. His dark eyes stared greedily at the mixture of vegetables, shredded pork, and fried noodles on top. His lips smacked together as he chewed and swallowed whatever swill of wine and food he’d been nursing in his mouth. His ruby-studded cuff links remained surprisingly untouched by the filth he’d brought onto himself, their boar eyes reflecting the candlelight and flashing into their eyes.

“I . . . I, uh . . ..”

That strange sound came again, this time from Jameson as he cleared his own throat. “Damn itching,” he growled as he reached towards Timothy’s plate. Makin’ me–” a mixture of a snort and a grunt eeked out from his throat as he closed in on his prize “–sound all funny.”

Everything seemed to spin for a moment as Timothy lost track of the room. The next thing he knew, he tasted pork and salt, and felt the familiar crunch of fried noodles in his mouth. He shuddered as he felt a warm, moist sensation surrounding his mouth and dripping down his chin. He swallowed and stuck out his tongue to taste it. As he suspected, his face was now covered in chow mein sauce. But when had he gone for it like that?

Jameson scowled. “Fine,” he grunted as he took a handful of wings and ribs and began to lay into them. His lower canines flashed as he continued to eat, and he soon grinned as he was lost in the euphoria of stuffing his face again.

The bald man pointed to some corn on the cob and grunted, not even deigning to ask as one of the other men reached over and smacked the platter down in front. The man immediately grabbed the cobs and stood up, pushing his chair back, before he dove in face-first and started chomping the corn cob like a typewriter does paper, one row at a time. Flecks of the corn clung to his bristles as he continued to grunt and eat. His shirt sleeves now flowed down onto the table, and his chest was bare to the world as he continued to feast. The others soon followed his example, leaning on the table as their rears strained against the seats of their pants with the occasional fart mixed with their snorts as they scarfed their food.

Jameson laughed as he licked his lips. His stubble had grown significantly, spreading down his neck and over his face as he relished in his slovenly behavior. He let out another belch, and as he did, his pants burst against his thickening thighs, revealing the silk underwear he’d been given and a significantly heavy bulge that lay beneath.

Timothy blinked owlishly at the other diners. They all seemed to be stripping, their clothing tearing like so much tissue paper on Christmas day. A pleasant tingle ran through his ears, hands, feet, and crotch as he watched.

Eat.

He didn’t even know what he was chewing on. He just had to eat. Every time he finished, more food was shoveled on top.

Grow.

He was hardly aware as the button on his pants burst off, and his belt buckle slammed against the underside of the table. He had to eat. The more he shoveled down, the hungrier he became. It was like all the food was being taken, even as it dropped down his throat. He snorted, then coughed as he drank too much and felt it rush up his nostrils. That didn’t stop him, though. He just exhaled violently through his nose and kept right on eating.

Swell.

Timothy grunted as he felt the tingling intensify below. He groaned in pleasure, and couldn’t help but stand as his glutes twitched. Something heavy and warm expanded between his legs, amplifying the sensation as he bowed the limbs to accommodate it.

Release.

Without a second thought, Timothy relaxed his bowels. The sudden expulsion of gas was nigh-on explosive, detonating like a firecracker. He blushed at the others’ reactions as laughter filled the room, and the men continued to point, eat, and spray their food and drink over the table.

Eat.

Expand.

Feed.

Feast.

In a matter of seconds, Timothy found himself buried in his food again as his stomach roared, and his senses cried out for more. The seat of his pants had constricted, causing greater discomfort, but he was too lost in the need to eat to care. The euphoria was too intoxicating.

Eventually, the big fellow with the tattoos interrupted again, and pointed with darkened fingers, even as he lifted a leg to release another spurt of gas, then scratch his crotch with his other hand. “Hey, everybody, look at Richie over there!”

Jameson’s eyes had become unfocused, his face painted in a cocktail of barbeque sauce, hot sauce, gravy, and all manner of substances both liquid and semi-solid. One of the servants had replaced his wineglass with a bowl that he sloshed his face in from time to time to drink, before returning to his meal. He continually grunted, clearing his throat as his Adam’s apple bobbed between swallows. His beard had consumed his face, and his hair had grown disheveled as he slopped through who knew which serving. His nose was so heavily caked with mashed potatoes and other starchy products, it looked more like a snout, even twitching as he flared his nostrils from within. His lower lip bulged, and two tiny points were visible from time to time as he smacked and chewed his food as noisily as possible. He didn’t seem to care about what he looked like anymore, or even if anyone was staring, for that matter.

“Food,” he grunted between. “Feed me.” The server obliged, shoveling a thick helping of beef stroganoff onto the man’s plate.

Timothy furrowed his brows in confusion as he looked more closely at Jameson. His body looked . . . thicker somehow. Tiny bristles glinted in the light from his legs and torso. As he squinted his eyes to take a closer look, he noticed the cuff links on Jameson’s wrists. With each movement, something caught in the light, almost like a sort of spider web.

Must eat.

The instinct was so strong. Timothy wanted to return to his own feasting, but he had to figure out what that was. Something didn’t seem right. He pulled his thoughts from the mire of his tenth helping of mashed potatoes and fried chicken to watch Jameson. A few moments later, he managed to hone in on the glint. It looked . . . yes, it was, a golden thread. It stretched from the cuff links, joining the two together, and then stretching up to his nose. Occasional spurts of the stuff would glint from Jameson’s food and drink, almost like they were discharging it. Just what was he seeing, some sort of gluttony-induced hallucination? He turned to look at the others. Each of them had their own threads, some reaching to their mouths, some stretching over the edge of the table, and down beneath. One man’s hands were completely encased in them. Just what was going on here?

“Sir, might I interest you in some mud pie?”

Must consume.

Timothy turned, and the room seemed to spin as he did so. His throat bobbed naturally now, scratching itself as he let out a confused grunt.

“Pie, Sir. Would you care for some?”

The scent of chocolate, cream, and bananas assaulted Timothy’s nose as the server brought it closer. The golden threads writhed from its perfect, glinting surface, as if to entice him. His mouth watered.

“I . . . I–.”

EAT!

The threads snapped, latching to his cufflinks, his nostrils, his mouth. His tongue felt so thick, so heavy. It wanted more. He could practically taste the graham cracker crust, the caramelized bananas, the rich, creamy chocolate. There wasn’t room in his mouth anymore. He had to let it out. And then, he did taste it as the pie was pushed against his tongue, his mouth, his face covered in cool chocolate filling. Everything was chocolate. Everything sugar, and filling, and food. So much food. So good.

He snorted through the chocolate filling, till he reached the bottom, and inhaled the smell as he scraped against the crust, licking, chewing, crushing, until he could gain proper purchase to lever it up with his thicker, longer tongue, and into his mouth. He felt a slight tug on his jaw and grunted in appreciation as the leverage grew easier. He adjusted his mouth to dig his canines under the crust, breaking it up, so he could shovel it in.

More.

“More. More. MOR–” the demand was broken off by a sort of a hiccupping sound that carried for the next few seconds. Timothy looked up, resting his cheeks in the crater he’d formed in the pie tin to see Jameson scrabbling at the table with his hands. His fingers had been stuck together by the combined sugary substances he’d been consuming practically non-stop, and he fumbled ineptly with the trays and saucers as he struggled to get more of the delicacies. The threads had wrapped over his arms and hands now, and were starting to thicken along his torso and legs as they inched their way along. Jameson reiterated the sound over and over again as he ate, sustaining it longer and longer each time between snorts and grunts. His swollen nose twitched as he guzzled his plates for all they were worth, even going so far as to lick them, before the servants came with new additions.

Grunt.

Squeal.

The noise was soon reiterated across the table as the other men joined in. The threads throbbed around their throats, thrusting up and down, forcing the grunts out, until they left, and the bobbing continued on its own. The threads reached up to the eyes and dipped through the tear layers. Then they pulsed like pumps as the color slowly drained away, darkening, shifting to the point where one could hardly tell the difference between the rich dark brown of the iris and the black of the pupil. As the tendrils withdrew, the grunting intensified, and the hiccups turned into squeals.

Next came the ears as the threads reached up, latching onto the cartilage, and pulling it, stretching it to flop down over their ear canals. Timothy watched as they rose and surged into the men’s newly-shaped ears, pulsing and throbbing as the men ate. Their fingers slowly shifted into lumps as their eyes glowed and the grunting increased.

Let go.

Forget.

Timothy watched all of this, and his heart began to race. Something was wrong. He pushed himself away from the table, but as he tried to stand, he felt off balance, top heavy. He felt a set of hands brace him, and turned to look at his server.

“Easy, Sir. You’ll fall, if you aren’t careful,” he said. His nostrils flared, and his uniform strained against his muscles. Two nubs pressed out from his forehead and slowly expanded as he shifted along the floor. The clip-clopping cadence of heavy hooves met Timothy’s ears, and his eyes widened in fear as he watched the servant grow all the taller. Cool, hard hoof-tips pressed into Timothy’s soft flesh as the man’s vascular arms lifted him towards the table again. A powerful animal scent cut through the aroma of the food, dispelling the fog.

Timothy tried to scream, only for a loud squeal to leave his throat. He thrashed and struggled, but to no avail as the glamour faded from his server to reveal a giant black-furred minotaur. He looked down to see, not the stains of food, but three massive fingers with black tips slowly drawing together. He crossed his eyes to see the much longer bridge of his nose as he snuffled and snorted. The tips of a pair of tusks were slowly growing more prominent, and that filled him with adrenaline as he squirmed in his captor’s grip.

The minotaur turned to the head of the table. “My apologies, Masters. I’m afraid this one became aware, before the binding could complete itself.”

The twelve laughed as they pointed to Mister Collin.

“Looks like you were a little sloppy there, Collin,” Cedric gloated. “Mine’s already nearly finished.” He patted his stomach contentedly as he looked down the table to where Jameson, or rather, the hog that had once been Jameson, blinked sleepily. The tendrils pulsed around his form, squeezing, teasing, shaping as the pig expanded to prize-winning proportions. “Ah. There it is.” Cedric chuckled darkly as the tendrils constricted, then pulled violently. A glowing apparition of Jameson floated limply as it drew closer and closer towards Cedric and a large silver ring he wore. Meanwhile, the two cuff links that had been around the pig’s hooves snapped onto its neck, and energy arced outwards from them to surround the swine’s neck, creating a thick leather collar that soon became etched with runes and other patterns. The pig grunted and snuffled at the table for a little longer, before dropping down to the floor and settling to sleep. The apparition dissolved into a golden mist that slipped into the grooves of the ring as the runic engravings pulsed.

“Much better,” Cedric said with a smile. “Not the best magic I’ve had, but it will suffice. And besides, the boy will make much more money now than he would have in his former state.

“I’m sure it helps that his family paid you,” another of the twelve said with a chuckle.

“Well, every contribution is most gratefully received. It seems only right to pay back one’s friends, wouldn’t you say?” Cedric asked with a sneer.

Timothy continued to struggle as he watched the others fall one after the other, leaving nothing more than hogs and boars snuffling at food, before taking their places on the ground to sleep. Mister Collin watched with a hint of curiosity as he folded his hands and stared at Timothy. His cane’s head glowed as the golden threads attached to Timothy fed whatever it was these men were taking into the alloy.

“Bring him here, Minos. Gently,” Mister Collin instructed as he continued to stare.

Timothy tried to shout something, anything, but his vocal chords wouldn’t let him. All he could manage were guttural grunts and squeals. His nose twitched against his will as he snuffled, sampling new scents and smells he never could register before. He could smell the other hogs, the expensive cologne the men wore, the scents of the various servants as they shifted to become centaurs, satyrs, and a variety of other forms both animal and mythical. He knew each one, and could even identify what some were feeling, because of the smell. He shuddered back from that. Though the ability would doubtless be useful, it also meant thinking more like a boar, and he didn’t want that.

At last, Timothy flailed helplessly in front of his former benefactor. His malformed limbs continued to twitch as the threads did their work. He felt his hips shifting into proper hindquarters as a long tail began to twitch and expand. His spine tingled as it extended, and he looked fearfully at the man who had been so kind before.

“You intrigue me, young man,” Mister Collin finally said. “It’s been a very long time since I’ve encountered someone so resilient, so in-tune with the world around him. Most of the people I’ve changed hardly put up a fight. You saw through our spellcraft. That’s a feat few, if any beginners can manage, let alone a person who’s never so much as touched their gift before.” He reached out, and stroked Timothy under his chin. Despite himself, Timothy couldn’t hold back the grunts of pleasure that rose from the sensation of the fingers on his bristles.

“Get on with it already, Collin. We have work to do.”

Mister Collin turned with blazing eyes on the man at the edge of the table. “I’d watch my tongue, if I were you, Wryma,” he snarled. “Or have you so easily forgotten just how close you were to joining the ranks of the animal kingdom yourself?”

Wryma gulped.

“I raised every one of you from your miserable condition to be what you are today, and I am grateful to call many of you colleagues, even friends, but don’t you dare to assume that I’ll broke impertinence in this circle.” Satisfied with the tongue lashing he’d given, Mister Collin turned his attention back to Timothy. “Now then, young man, I see potential in you. And it seems quite clear to me that you’d rather retain your intelligence and sapience. Is that not so?”

Timothy nodded vigorously, even as he felt the tears starting to run into his . . . his fur. Even as he listened, it was getting harder and harder to put the words together into proper sentences in his mind.

Mister Collin noticed this, and quickly snapped his fingers. The tingling stopped, and the pulsing from the threads ceased. “Your mana is too valuable a resource for me to simply let go, especially since there are those who still hunt our kind, even if they’re ignorant of our true desires.” He sighed and slumped in his chair as the weight of years past pressed on his shoulders. “So, the question is, what to do with you? The way I see it, you have two options. I can either finish what I started with you and take all of your mana and potential for myself, which, as you can see, effectively leaves you little more than a beast of the field. You wouldn’t even be aware of your loss, and you would be well taken care of for the rest of your days, however long or short they may be.”

Timothy let loose a series of grunts and snorts with a single drawn-out squeal.

“The other option?”

Timothy nodded.

“Well, the other option is to agree to a contract with me. You get to keep your mind and your mana, but you lend me that power when I stand in need of it. You won’t be human, of course. Not at first, anyways. That form is earned over time, through hard work and dedication, but you might find you prefer this form to that, by the time you reach that point.” He chuckled. “Most of my servants do. So, what do you say? Grunt once for the first option, twice for the second.”

Timothy grunted twice, then nodded vigorously.

Mister Collin grinned viciously. “Excellent. Put him down, Minos.”

“Yes, Master,” Minos said as he gently placed Timothy on the floor.

“I’m afraid you’ll have to spend the next few weeks in a more porcine state of mind, friend. You have to learn how to use your body properly, and to accept the animal side of you. But don’t worry, it’s not permanent. You may even come to enjoy it.”

Timothy felt a strange yanking sensation somewhere in his gut and his head as the collar began to form along his neck. One of his hocks tingled, and as he turned his head to view it, he noticed a brand taking shape in the form of an archaic C with a nail piercing through it. He tried to protest, but suddenly things felt fuzzy. He couldn’t quite piece together why he was upset. His tusks felt in place, he had just been well fed by the man-things, his . . . owners? Yes, that felt right. He grunted in pleasure as he felt a strong surge of energy flowing through his body and walked forward. He felt strangely unsteady at first, but things soon righted themselves again as he drew closer to his master. Yes, that’s what he was. If he could smile, he would have as he approached the extended object. He snuffled the cool metal head of the cane, and it glowed brightly, blinding him for a time, but he didn’t feel alarmed. When the light was gone, and he could see again, he felt the gentle hand of his master stroking his mane. It felt good to be next to his master. The other man-things gaped at him, but he didn’t care. He was there to be with his master. He rested his massive head on the arm of the chair as the gentle strokes continued.

“Gods, man, that thing is massive!” one of them exclaimed.

“It has to be at least four feet high!”

“Four feet, nine inches, I believe, Mister Edwards, and a good three hundred pounds, I should think, possibly a little more. He makes quite a stunning wild boar, wouldn’t you say?” Mister Collin chuckled as he ran his hands through the boar’s thick gold mane. Its green eyes had remained, and deep mahogany bristles coated the rest of his hide with just a hint of lighter brown speckles near the mane.

“If that’s his size when he’s feral, how large will he be when he regains his humanity?”

“If you’re referring to his partial form, I would assume a good seven or eight feet at least.” Mister Collin laughed. “It seems I win, after all, gentlemen. And I get a new servant out of the deal to boot. I’d say our little feast of fools was quite the success.” He handed a truffle to the new wild boar. “Wouldn’t you say so, Vaughn?”

The newly-named Vaughn grunted happily as he snapped up the truffle. Master was so good to him.

The Dreamer Hostel turned out to be quite a party hostel, with daily games for travellers to play and get drunk. This resulted in me playing Beer Pong for the first time, killer pool and card games in order to just drink more. It was just like being at University again. Also it was a great way of meeting my fellow travellers. All of them shocked when they found out my age.. “I thought you would have been late twenties max” they say lol.

Sitting at the bar, drinking a Club Colombia and chatting to Scott the Canadian that had a story for everything. I clock the bar girls stop mid pour and stare over my shoulder, I slowly turn to see what has caught their attention. Four guys arrive, the front two ripped and in good shape, and all in their twenties.

James was the blond with perfectly styled hair, who looked like he had just walked off the set of ‘Made in Chelsea’. It’s turns out he went to Harrow School, need i say more .. The other Ed, had the most incredible blue eyes that dazzled you against his dark hair and tan.

It turns out they are from the UK, best of mates that have just graduated and are travelling for a year. They join in on the drinking games with everyone else and once enough is consumes and the bar closes, we all head to a salsa club La Puetra in Santa Marta.

Boys being boys, they lark about and poor old Max, one of the four ends up with a sprained finger from trying to punch Ed. I sense this will be the sort of antics that will carry on through their year of travels. If they make it that far alive… Hilarious to watch.

So Hostel life has treated me pretty well so far, but I soon realise that it is a hot bed for germs and god knows what else. All across Santa Marta there is a break out of pink eye, and several in my hostel have it. Apparently it had originated from the ‘Lost City’ four day trek, and from a couple of Gringos. Some travellers coming North from Medellin report of it having made it the 835 km South. 

Luckily I have avoided it – maybe it’s because I never use the gross hand towels. Why would anyone!!!

One of the good things about being gay in Colombia, is there is little chance of meeting a hooker in a bar. For the straights its just damned hard to avoid it. Prostitution in Colombia is legal and they are everywhere.

Dancing on the rooftop at La Brisa Loca – the best venue I have been to in Colombia. An attractive woman comes up to me and starts to dance, we speak some Spanish. I find out she is from Medellín and then she grabs my crotch and says “You like Sex”…

I say “No Gracias¨and move away.

Now I warn a couple of my new found friends to be careful of the the ladies, that some are ‘ladies of the night’. The majority heed my advice and some do not.. #dontkissahooker.

Thankfully we all successfully make it back to the hostel together.

What I love about this travelling alone, is you can do what you want when you want, you have the freedom to choose and just go with the flow. I did exactly this and changed my plans and headed to Minca and stayed at Casas Viejas for two nights.

Minca lies 650m high in the Sierra Nevada and is a new find on the traveller route for Colombia, so still pretty unspoilt and only 15km from Santa Marta.

Casas Viejas is thirty minutes further up the mountain and only accessible by motorbike. I hop on the back with both my travel backpacks and make the steep climb sometimes off road. Ouch my thighs..

I hop off the bike at my destination. The beautiful Casas Viejas is in the middle of a finca – coffee farm. The view from the main dinning area is the best I have seen yet. Looking out across the jungle to the cloud covered mountains ahead with just the birds playing their tunes. Absolute paradise.

     The mornings are even more spectacular and on a clear day you can see Santa Marta on the horizon. At night your can walk higher up the finca to ‘Sunset point’ with a beer and watch the sky turn red and see the twinkling lights of Santa Marta in the distance. The food is pretty good here too, all cooked by volunteers. It’s perfect for hiking, bird watching over 300 species and seeing a lot of bugs, spiders and butterflies.

     The Coffee tour at La Victoria, was well worth the 20,000cop £5. This Coffee farm like so many others is completely self sustainable thanks to the nearby waterfall powering everything. The water powers a single generator that powers the farm, the local brewery , the surrounding houses and the hostel.

A 24 pipe system across 150 hectares delivers the freshly picked Coffee beans to the little processing plant, and then goes through several processes of washing to make a bean ready to sell. Who knew most coffee is sold and shipped to its destination as a white bean, and is then roasted in the final destination.

     Nothing is wasted, the good coffee beans are sold to international buyers, the less quality coffee is sold locally and the skin layers that are removed from the coffee bean are all used to make fertiliser for the new plants. Too think that this area was a no go zone for travellers just over two years ago due to the fighting that has plagued Colombia for so much of its past.

Due to my two amazingly chilled nights in the mountains I only have one night in Cartagena. Which to be honest I was fine with, from what I had heard from other travellers and from what I could see when I arrived.

After the six hour bus journey, I took the 30 minute taxi to El Viarejo in the old town, and just saw a dirty, uninspiring tourist trap, full off ugly hotels. The old town was mildly better with some colourful colonial buildings, but little else. The stifling heat and humidity makes it hard to want to do much.

Due to Avianca changing my flight to a 10am from a 7pm I didn’t have time to see much more of the city. Cali was my next destination and where my Colombian journey will come to an end.

Cali is home to Salsa, so I was so excited to be experiencing the city and meeting up with my travel chum Laura. Taking the one hour flight, was far better than the 20 hour bus. I arrived at El Viarejo in the district of San Antonio. I took a taxi from the airport which took 30 minutes and was 45,000cop £11.

El Viarejo have a few hostels in Colombia and out of the two I stayed in, this was the better of the two. The staff were much friendlier and the layout much nicer than the long corridor of Cartagena. The pool was perfect for cooling down, and the free nightly Salsa lessons were a great addition. The only down side was the bar closed 22:30, but this just forced you to head out to the many Salsa clubs, like Tin Tin Deo a must on a Thursday Evening.

The area of San Antonio was really pretty, with a great selection of restaurants and cafes. Corrine a particular favourite for freshly baked bagels and coffee for breakfast, Cafe Mocando for some delicious ice cream feasts, La 4ta Pared Cafe for a cheap evening meal.

     Like many Colombian cities, there are the usual museums and church’s to see. Cali had lots of street art and murals painted on the side buildings that gave it a more youthful influence. Also there was a great indoor market ‘Plaza de Mercado Alameda’, worth a visit to try out the many varieties of fresh fruit and many street sellers selling ceviche.

     The time has come to make my final bus journey 12 hours South to Ipiales, the closest town to make the final journey across the border to Ecuador. We were advised to book through transipiales, as they were the best operator on this route.

So glad we did, the bus was a double decker, we had seats at the front of the top deck, and the seats were super comfy and was my cheapest long distance bus journey at 45,000cop £11.

We arrived at Ipiales at 9am and were shocked by the sudden drop in temperature, from the warm sun of Cali, here I had to search for my warm coat for the first time. Ten minutes from Ipiales is the ‘Santuario De Las Lajas’, a beautiful basilica church that looks like Rivendell from lord of the rings is worth visiting.

     One thing you notice this far South is how close you are to the border of Ecuador, as the local people change. They have become shorter, rounder and more brightly dressed. Can I say that!!! Oh well I have…

     Colombia you have been more than I could have imagined, and I am sad to be leaving. I look forward to my many more future visits to your fabulous country and I hope my experience will encourage more to visit.

  ¡Hasta luego! Colombia.. Santa Marta to Cali The Dreamer Hostel turned out to be quite a party hostel, with daily games for travellers to play and get drunk.

Hi, everyone! Rich and Lisa are on vacation this week. Eddy sometimes picks up the slack when they’re gone, but he’s also on vacation, so I leaped at the opportunity to make a fool of myself here in my inaugural MMN post. So fair warning: if you have any questions about the minutiae of our different projects, my answer is probably going to be some variant of “gosh, I don’t know, but I’ll talk to Rich when he gets back.” Consequently, this post will probably be shorter than Rich’s posts tend to be.

Gen Con 50 looms ever closer, a mere ten days away (thus eight or nine days until we leave for Indianapolis), and we’re totally not panicking. At least, some of us aren’t. The Gen Con Twitter account announced earlier that almost all passes are completely sold out: they expect to sell out of their remaining Friday passes this week. So clearly, this year’s Gen Con is going to be huge. I have no idea how many passes are available in total, but there were just shy of 61,000 attendees last year. It’s crazy to think that there won’t actually be a booth from which to buy passes at the show, because all of them are already gone. We hope to see you there!

Those of you who have gone in recent years may remember the limited promotional buttons we’ve had on hand, such as the Pugmire breeds and callings or Scion 2nd Edition’s pantheons. This year’s buttons may be of interest to fans of the Trinity Continuum‘s Æon setting. If you’re not, fear not: other designs will still be available, as long as our limited supplies last.

Speaking of which, last year’s Storypath System Preview makes a return, although where last year’s was focused on Scion, this year’s is focused on the Trinity Continuum. The contents are similar, just with a different flavour. The cover illustration is absolutely amazing and I can’t wait to share it with everyone.

What I will share is this illustration from that upcoming preview. She occupies the same conceptual space as the Lara Crofts and Nathan Drakes of the world, in search of ancient artifacts and tomes of knowledge, armed with nothing but her wits (and maybe a sidearm or two). I haven’t named her yet, but she doubtless works with the Global Cartography Initiative. Or perhaps even Les Fantômes.

She’s the very first illustration made for the modern-day Trinity Continuum setting. She’s illustrated by the returning Leif Jones, who was one of the key artists who helped establish the look of both Trinity and Aberrant when they were originally released 20 years ago.

Gen Con prep aside, Saturday we wrapped up our Kickstarter for Chronicles of Darkness: Dark Eras 2, the sequel to our previous Dark Eras, and we closed with $60,593 of our original $40,000 goal! Thanks to everyone who contributed. We achieved a few extra eras out of stretch goals, and some of our backers will either expand on those eras or resurrect others from the polls we ran. We’re looking forward to seeing how the book comes together! As always, watch this space for more details as development continues.

The Dark Eras 2 Kickstarter was the first place we revealed the Deviant skull, which Rich posted last week, but I thought was cool enough that I’ll post it again. Also, I don’t have access to Rich’s vast store of yet-unpublished art so I’m trying to jazz this up as best as I can. Here’s that delicious Deviant teaser text again:

You woke up…different. Someone changed you; on a slab, an operating table, an altar. By luck or by fate, you escaped. Hunted by the ones who made you, they hold all the cards. Except one thing, what they don’t know is that a fire burns within you because what they did wasn’t right. What they don’t know is that YOU’RE hunting THEM.

Deviant presents a game where the victims of experiments band together to bring down the monolithic organizations that twisted and warped them.

Finally, I think I heard Mike say that the last couple of standalone chapters from Dark Eras will be ready for sale this Wednesday, but don’t quote me on that. I’m not sure if we’re going to have anything up for sale next Wednesday, because we’ll all be busy setting up our booth in Indianapolis, but we’ll at least be posting our 2017-2018 brochure sometime over the weekend, and I know you’re all looking forward to that.

I have no idea how Rich organizes the Blurbs section or how long he decides to keep something posted, so rather than risk his great and terrible wrath, I’ll just leave it as-is. Production status below has been kept with the same format, although the information’s been updated accordingly.

And, to channel the late Walter Cronkite, that’s the way it is. See you all next week!

BLURBS!

ON SALE!

  ON AMAZON:

  We’re delighted to announce the opening of our ebook store on Amazon! You can now read our fiction from the comfort and convenience of your Kindle. Our initial selection includes these fiction anthologies: Vampire: the Masquerade‘s Endless Ages, Werewolf: The Apocalypse 20th Anniversary Edition‘s Rites of Renown: When Will You Rage 2, Mage: The Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition‘s Truth Beyond Paradox, Chronicles of Darkness‘ God Machine Chronicle, Mummy: The Curse‘s Curse of the Blue Nile, and Beast: The Primordial‘s The Primordial Feast!

And now you can get these books in the Barnes and Noble Nook store too!

Vampire: The Masquerade: The Endless Ages Anthology

Werewolf: The Apocalypse: Rites of Renown: When Will You Rage II

Mage: The Ascension: Truth Beyond Paradox

Chronicles of Darkness: The God-Machine Chronicle Anthology

Mummy: The Curse: Curse of the Blue Nile

Beast: The Primordial: The Primordial Feast Anthology

  And here are six more fiction books:

Vampire: The Masquerade: Of Predators and Prey: The Hunters Hunted II Anthology

Werewolf: The Apocalypse: The Poison Tree

Werewolf: The Apocalypse: Songs of the Sun and Moon: Tales of the Changing Breeds

Vampire: The Requiem: The Strix Chronicle Anthology

Werewolf: The Forsaken: The Idigam Chronicle Anthology

Mage: The Awakening: The Fallen World Chronicle Anthology

  Andand six more more:

Vampire: The Masquerade: The Beast Within Anthology (Kindle, Nook)

Werewolf: The Apocalypse: W20 Cookbook (Kindle, Nook)

Exalted: Tales from the Age of Sorrows (Kindle, Nook)

Chronicles of Darkness: Tales of the Dark Eras (Kindle, Nook)

Promethean: The Created: The Firestorm Chronicle Anthology (Kindle, Nook)

Demon: The Descent: Demon: Interface (Kindle, Nook)

      Looking for our Deluxe or Prestige Edition books? Here’s the link to the press release we put out about how Onyx Path is now selling through Indie Press Revolution: http://ift.tt/1ZlTT6z

You can now order wave 2 of our Deluxe and Prestige print overrun books, including Deluxe Mage 20th Anniversary, and Deluxe V20 Dark Ages! And Screens…so many Screens!

    ON DRIVETHRURPG.COM:

This Wednesday we will be adding new Chronicles of Darkness: Dark Eras shirts to our RedBubble store! Now you can support your favorite game lines in their historical versions!

    Satyr Phil Brucato beckons you once more into the Annex of Mage: The Ascension with this 300 page follow-up to M20. The M20 Book of Secrets is NOW on sale in PDF and PoD versions at DTRPG.com! http://ift.tt/2tKyJtb

More Than Magick

For mages who think they have everything, this trove of treasures expands upon the wealth of material presented throughout Mage: The Ascension’s 20th Anniversary Edition. New Traits, new rules, essays, answers, information… the Secrets are revealed within.

Enter the Annex

Building upon the M20 core rulebook, this Book of Secrets features updated rules and setting material, such as…

An M20 FAQ Genres & Resources

Matters of Focus Justice & Influence

New Abilities, Archetypes, Merits & Flaws

Expanded Rules for Combat, Resonance, Wonders, Computer Systems, and More

This Ascension Continues…

      Chomping it’s way to you comes the Dagger of Spiragos adventure PDF for Scarred Lands! This second in the Spiragos trilogy for levels 4-6 is now in both 5e and Pathfinder PDF versions on DriveThruRPG.com!

PF: http://ift.tt/2uvy38a

5e: http://ift.tt/2uS6FDT

The Titans’ Relics Must Be Destroyed! 

Artifacts from the fallen titan Spiragos have been recovered, and forces are at work that would see them used for ill. The Dagger of Spiragos and the Ring of Spiragos are now in the player characters’ hands — and they must do what they can to rid Scarn of the foul relics of the titans, whatever the cost!

What Came Before 

Dagger of Spiragos is a sequel to the 2014 Gen Con Scarred Lands Special Preview adventure, Gauntlet of Spiragos (available as a free download on DriveThruRPG. com and RPGnow.com). It is also the second adventure in the Spiragos Saga, with Ring of Spiragos, the dramatic finale, as the third and culminating title.

In Gauntlet of Spiragos, the PCs traveled to the legendary Chasm of Flies, where they discovered a tribe of spider-eye goblins who possessed relics of their fallen master, Spiragos. Now, with those items in hand, the PCs travel to the city of Fangsfall, where they must seek aid in destroying the foul objects.

But others wish to possess these items, too,

    Sailing out of the dark, the V20 Dark Ages Companion PDF and physical book PoD versions are going on sale Wednesday on DriveThruRPG.com! http://ift.tt/2pX42dq

Travel the long roads and deep seas in search of power and experience danger, or tackle the wilderness to hunt monsters and face death. Settlements large and small dot the black expanse with the promise of sanctuary, life, and community. These bastions of civilization present cold comfort, when playing host to vampire warlords and sadistic Cainite faiths. Whether led by a Prince, a coordinated belief, or hounded by monsters from without and within — no domain is truly the same as another.

Dark Ages Companion includes:

• Domains scattered across the world, from small fiefdoms to massive cities. Bath, Bjarkarey, Constantinople, Rome, Mogadishu, and Mangaluru each receive coverage.

• Apocrypha including plot hooks, new Paths, and mysteries to explore in your games.

• A how-to guide on building a domain within your chronicle, including events and servants necessary to make a domain as functional or dysfunctional as you wish.

• A study on warfare in the Dark Ages period, so combat in your chronicles can gain authenticity and lethality.

      From the Primordial to your Chronicles, Beast‘s Building a Legend has risen in PDF and PoD formats on DTRPG.com!

http://ift.tt/2u1BBkU

CREATING A CHRONICLE IS REWARDING…

…so why should the Storyteller have all the fun?

The whole troupe should get in on the action, making for a chronicle that reflects the preferences and predilections of all the players.

Building a Legend is a guide for doing exactly that — making a cohesive chronicle, starting with character creation, for Beast: The Primordial. It includes advice on creating Storyteller characters, folding in real world history, and populating the Primordial Dream.

        From the massive Chronicles of Darkness: Dark Eras main book, we have pulled this single chapter, Dark Eras: Requiem for Regina (Vampire: The Requiem Elizabethan London 1593). We have shared the world with monsters for millennia. In Elizabeth’s London, vampires built their own empire brick by bloody brick while Elizabeth I cemented her grip on newly Protestant England. Carefully balancing demands from those with Catholic and Lutheran sympathies, she forged a police state. Yet London emerged as a thriving cultural center, and from the crucible emerged a Kindred society forever changed.

http://ift.tt/2sl0Zh4

On sale in PDF and physical copy PoD versions on DTRPG!

      What dark secrets do the eldest vampires hold? Find out in Thousand Years of Night for Vampire: The Requiem! Advance PDF version available now on DriveThruRPG.com. http://ift.tt/2sV8lZR

You may think that with a multitude of people coming, going, dying and running away, we’d be tired, done, or ready to give up. Instead, I find myself restless, looking for the next thing.  There’s always a next thing, and I for one am not yet ready to die.

– Elder Kincaid, Daeva Crone

This book includes:

• Detailed instructions on creating elder vampires, including how to base chronicles around them

• A look into the lives of elders, how they spend their nights, who they work with, and why including their roles in both their clans and covenants

• New Devotions, Merits, and Rituals for elder vampires

• The kinds of creatures that pose a threat to elder vampires, including Inamorata, Lamia, Sons of Phobos, a new elder conspiracy, and more

      From the massive Chronicles of Darkness: Dark Eras main book, we have pulled this single chapter, Dark Eras: To The Strongest (Mage Death of Alexander 330-320 BCE). In the rise and fall of Alexander the Great’s Empire, armies marched and cultures clashed. In the birth pangs of Hellenistic civilization, Awakened sorcerers all over the ancient world met, fought, and joined together. In the chaos of Alexander’s assassination and the wars that followed, Cults became Orders amid conflicts still burning in the present day.

http://ift.tt/2tmTVl6

On sale in PDF and physical copy PoD versions on DTRPG!

  From the massive Chronicles of Darkness: Dark Eras main book, we have pulled this single chapter, Dark Eras: Three Kingdoms of Darkness (Changeling and Geist China 220-280). Famine weakens the empire, and war splits it apart. It is an age of ambition and strife, where the hungry dead walk the earth in great numbers, and the Lost must rely on their own kingdoms. Warlords and commoners, ghost-speakers and orphans — who truly serves the Mandate of Heaven?

On sale in PDF and physical copy PoD versions on DTRPG! http://ift.tt/2rp8hPL

    From the massive Chronicles of Darkness: Dark Eras main book, we have pulled this single chapter, Dark Eras: The Wolf and the Raven (Werewolf and Geist Vikings 700-1100). The Viking expansion across Europe comes at a pivotal time in history, as new faiths rose to challenge the old and new ways threatened to sweep ancient tradition aside. The Forsaken sail with raiders and explorers, seeking new lands to claim and new spirits to conquer, while Sin-Eaters walk the battlefields bringing the honored dead to their final rewards. The world grows larger and more dangerous by the day, but there are great rewards for those brave enough to fight for them.

On sale in PDF and physical copy PoD versions on DTRPG! http://ift.tt/2rUjKtX

      Curated by Matthew McFarland, developer of Changeling: the Dreaming Twentieth Anniversary Edition and featuring authors such as Myranda Kalis, Wren Handman, and Peter Woodworth, this C20 Anthology of Dreams is on sale in electronic/PDF and physical copy PoD formats on DTRPG.com! http://ift.tt/2snBT0X

We dream, and we tell stories. We dream of love and the sort of person who might complete us. We dream of horror and wake breathless. We dream of magic, of flying through the air, or breathing underwater. We dream of fantastic vistas and amazing monsters.

We dream, and then we wake, and we tell stories. Our dreams create the Kithain, the changelings. Our stories are sustenance.

  CONVENTIONS!

Gen Con 50 IS IN TEN DAYS. August 17th – 20th, Indianapolis. Our booth will actually be 20′ x 30′ this year that we’ll be sharing with Nocturnal Media and White Wolf. We’re looking at new displays this year, like a back drop and magazine racks for the brochure(s). FYI, the con is almost entirely sold out for the first time ever! Here’s the map again of where we’ll be:

  In November, we’ll be at Game Hole Con in Madison, WI. More news as we have it, and here’s their website: http://ift.tt/RIm6qP

  And now, the new project status updates!

DEVELOPMENT STATUS FROM ROLLICKING ROSE (projects in bold have changed status since last week):

First Draft (The first phase of a project that is about the work being done by writers, not dev prep)

Trinity Continuum: Aeon Rulebook (The Trinity Continuum)

M20 Gods and Monsters (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)

M20 Book of the Fallen (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)

C20 Novel (Jackie Cassada) (Changeling: the Dreaming 20th Anniversary Edition)

Monarchies of Mau (Monarchies of Mau)

Night Horrors: The Tormented (Promethean: The Created 2nd Edition)

Deviant: The Renegades (Deviant: The Renegades)

Redlines

Kithbook Boggans (Changeling: the Dreaming 20th Anniversary Edition)

Hunter: the Vigil 2e core (Hunter: the Vigil 2nd Edition)

Exalted 3rd Novel by Matt Forbeck (Exalted 3rd Edition)

The Realm (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Second Draft

WoD Ghost Hunters (World of Darkness)

Pugmire Fiction Anthology (Pugmire)

Ex Novel 2 (Aaron Rosenberg) (Exalted 3rd Edition)

DtD Night Horrors: Enemy Action (Demon: the Descent)

Dragon-Blooded (Exalted 3rd Edition)

  Development

Signs of Sorcery (Mage: the Awakening Second Edition)

SL Ring of Spiragos (Pathfinder – Scarred Lands 2nd Edition)

Ring of Spiragos (5e – Scarred Lands 2nd Edition)

Pugmire Pan’s Guide for New Pioneers (Pugmire)

Scion: Origin (Scion 2nd Edition)

Scion: Hero (Scion 2nd Edition)

Trinity Continuum Core Rulebook (The Trinity Continuum)

GtS Geist 2e core (Geist: the Sin-Eaters Second Edition)

  WW Manuscript Approval:

M20 Cookbook (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)

C20 Ready Made Characters (Changeling: the Dreaming 20th Anniversary Edition)

  Editing:

Changeling: the Lost 2nd Edition, featuring the Huntsmen Chronicle (Changeling: the Lost 2nd Edition)

M20 Cookbook

  Post-Editing Development:

W20 Changing Ways (Werewolf: the Apocalypse 20th Anniversary Edition)

Indexing:

    ART DIRECTION FROM MIRTHFUL MIKE:

In Art Direction

W20 Pentex Employee Indoctrination Handbook – Ellis is working on painting everything up.

Cavaliers of Mars

Wraith 20

W20 Changing Ways – AD’d and Contracted.

Ex3 Monthly Stuff

VDA Jumpstart

Scion Origins

Ring of Spiragos

Ex 3 Arms of the Chosen – Finals coming in.

Beast PG – Finals rolling in for most of the stuff.

VtR Half Damned – AD’d and Contracted.

Book of Freeholds

Marketing Stuff

In Layout

Prince’s Gambit – New Cards out for playtesting.

Beckett’s Jyhad Diary – Working up a test chapter this week.

  Proofing

M20 Art Book – In progress…

  At Press

Beckett Screen – Shipped to shipper.

Scarred Land PGs & Wise and the Wicked PF & 5e

Mau Wallpaper

Monarchies of Mau Early Access

Dark Eras: Lily Sabre and Thorn

Dark Eras: A Grimm Dark Era

VTR: Thousand Years of Night

Gen Con 2017 Brochure

Changeling: the Dreaming 20th Anniversary Edition (Changeling: the Dreaming 20th Anniversary Edition) – PoD uploaded and processing…

C20 Jumpstart PDF

CtL Huntsmen Chronicle Anthology PDF

  TODAY’S REASON TO CELEBRATE: 1976: Viking 2 enters orbit around Mars. The Viking orbiters and landers revolutionized our ideas about the geology of Mars and the historical presence of water.

9 Upscale Las Vegas Restaurants for Groups or Celebrations

9 Las Vegas restaurants for groups and celebrations

Most likely you will need to choose a restaurant after your celebration. This article is a helpful resource guide for you to determine what restaurant you will choose and features 9 Las Vegas restaurant ideas to consider as fine dining establishments in Las Vegas. The choices available for Las Vegas restaurants for groups and occasions are plentiful. I have picked only a small selection in this article that you might consider. These restaurants are in prime locations whether its the newer section of the Strip or the vintage downtown section of Las Vegas.  Many of my clients want to stay on the Strip and not travel far to celebrate. If you want to have a special celebration and keep it on the Las Vegas Strip here are some top picks and are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to determining which Las Vegas restaurant you will consider.  Las Vegas has based its reputation on excellent food, celebrity chefs, entertainment and hospitality services. But when it comes to making a restaurant choice for your event it can be overwhelming to choose.  That is why when I am planning a Las Vegas wedding for my clients I often find them asking me my opinion on the subject and what I recommend.  There are many restaurants to choose from for your Las Vegas wedding celebration, reception or special event. It is only fair for me to provide other links to research further options because there are many more fine dining restaurant choices in Las Vegas available to you. You will find the links to research your other choices further down the article.  Quite frankly, there a so many great restaurants in Las Vegas that it’s been difficult to even begin to choose which ones I would showcase in this article. So I chose the best I could based on personal experience and feedback.  My husband and I have celebrated our anniversary dinners in three of the restaurants.  I have also received feedback from wedding couples about some of these restaurants. I can’t count how often I am asked from my clients to recommend good choices for Las Vegas restaurants for groups and celebrations. Las Vegas excels in the hospitality arena. The restaurants and staff are well trained and are equipped to provide fast efficient group set up. In fact, I consider myself spoiled.  I have been to some other cities and quite frankly expected better service than I received because I am used to the standard I am accustomed to here. Nonetheless, no matter how great the service is in Vegas it is always advised to give appropriate advance notice and make reservations at any of these fine dining establishments. Hopefully the restaurants reviewed in this article will help make your restaurant celebration choice easier. These are great spots to consider in my opinion. They are elegant fine dining choices whether it's an engagement dinner celebration, a place to pop the question and propose, a Vegas wedding or anniversary. This article provides useful links, pricing information, contact information, website links and descriptions of the fare served.  The ambiance, elegance and environment of each of the restaurant choices in this article speaks for itself. These are all great Las Vegas restaurants for groups which offer private dining options which is optimal if you want to focus on your guests and not have a lot of interruption and noise during dinner.  Some people, depending on the occasion, will want to focus only on each other for their wedding or anniversary dinner and may prefer the low light, more private setting.  Other situations will call for including family or friends at your celebration so there is a lot to consider when making your decision about the ambiance of the restaurant. Even if these restaurants are on the higher end of the expense ratio, I think for a special occasion it’s worth the price.  After all, how many special life events do you experience on a day to day basis? Wouldn’t you agree these types of occasions deserve a special dining experience? How often do you get to sit with your favorite people and celebrate a special hallmark occasion? I think you and your occasion are worth celebrating. $$$= $31-$60 $$$$= above $61 1.   PRIME (Bellagio) $$$$

The chef and restaurateur, Jean-Georges Vongerichten creates a tantalizing selection of steak, seafood and lamb complimented with award winning sauces and side dishes.  It’s definitely a great choice for a Las Vegas wedding reception choice for a special occasion. It features a fantastic view of the Bellagio fountains as you and your guests dine. The restaurant is intricately decorated with brown and Tiffany blue décor enhanced with the beautiful artwork by Carlo Maria Mariani, George Deem and Michael Gregory, and water-themed art by Joseph Raffael. Phone:           (866) 259-7111 Fare:              Steakhouse and seafood $$$                $31-$60 Hours:            Daily 5:00 PM – 10:00 PM Attire              Fine dining Website    2.   LAGO  (Bellagio) $$$$ This restaurant offers Italian cuisine and is a mix and match of cultures and atmosphere.  It also features an open and bright inviting color theme with beautiful large windows and an open bar area. The patio overlooks the Bellagio fountains and is a terrific romantic choice for a special occasion. It's vibrant atmosphere pops but it also offer the romantic low light dining experience. It’s a fun and exciting alternative to enjoy lively conversation. Private dining:  Groups of 15 on up contact 702.693.7317 Phone:          (702) 693-8865 Fare:             Italian Menu $$$               Small plates - $31-$60 Hours:           Monday – Thursday 11:30 AM – 11:00 PM                      Friday – Sat. 11:30 AM – 12:00 AM                      Sunday: 10:30 AM – 11 PM Attire             Business Casual Website:  3.   LAKESIDE (the Wynn) $$$$

Lakeside at the Wynn is located inside the Wynn hotel.  The dining room is bright and bold. You may sit outside by the lake or in a private cabana by the lagoon. It features a Mediterranean atmosphere and the menu showcases seafood and charred steak selections. It’s a romantic choice to celebrate any occasion but especially elegant for a wedding, engagement or anniversary.  It features seafood and Italian cuisine and offers a wide variety of house made pastas. At night they feature a light and sound show at their waterfall fountain for entertainment. They have over 40 varieties of fresh fish are flown in daily from Italy. Private Dining:  They offer private group dining inside and on the terrace outdoors. Phone:             (702) 693-8865 Fare:                Seafood, Contemporary American, Steak $$$                  $31-$60 Hours:              Sunday – Thursday 5:30 PM – 10:15 PM                        Friday, Saturday 5:30 p.m. – 10:30 PM Attire               Casual Elegant Website        4.   JOE'S SEAFOOD (Caesars Palace) $$$$

Joe's Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab has been a brainchild of collaboration between two companies, Lettuce Entertain You and Joe's Stone Crab.  I can personally vouch for the wonderful fare and atmosphere of this restaurant.  It is also one my husband and I celebrated our anniversary at. The main fare of this restaurant is seafood and I absolutely adore seafood, especially lobster. My lobster was fantastic and melted in my mouth. The seafood is fresh and daily flown in to Vegas.  Signature prime steaks are also featured. Master Chef’s hands carve the Rib Eye, or Bone-in Filet Mignon.  The deserts are refreshing. As you walk in the restaurant you mare met with a busy lounge. The waiters feature tuxedos and the service is superb. Private Dining – The restaurant features spaces for small parties of 12 guests up to parties of 150. Phone:            (702) 792-9222 Fare:               Seafood, American, Steakhouse $$$                 $31-$60 Hours:             Sunday – Thursday 5:00 PM – 10:00 PM                       Friday, Saturday 5:00 p.m. – 11:00 PM Attire              Casual Elegant Website 5.   THE STRIP HOUSE (Planet Hollywood) $$$

The atmosphere of this restaurant at Planet Hollywood features low lighting. It has received a four star top steakhouse designation. Its décor represents an old world feel featuring black and white vintage photos that incorporates a glamorous, decadent and modern feel. This is a good fit for a romantic relaxing dinner.  The chef’s specialize in offering charred cuts of steak.  There is a selection of side dishes to complement the entrees. For example they feature Truffle Creamed Spinach and Goose Fat Potatoes. Their famous desert is a 24-Layer Chocolate Cake. Strip House Las Vegas is a great venue for birthdays, bachelor and bachelorette parties and more casual wedding and renewal celebrations. Private Dining:  They have three private dining rooms seating from 6 - 22 guests. Phone:            (702) 737-5200 Fare:               Steakhouse, American $$$                 $31-$60 Hours:             Sunday – Wednesday 5:00 PM – 10:00 PM                       Thursday -- Saturday 5:00 p.m. – 11:00 PM Attire              Fine dining Website        6.   MAGGIANO’S (Fashion Show Mall) $$$

Maggiano's is conveniently located at the Fashion Show Mall on the world famous Las Vegas Boulevard. Our 325 seat dining room is ideal for a romantic dinner for two, a festive gathering or a group lunch. Maggiano's specializes in serving generous portions of authentic Italian-American cuisine, served family style. Our menu is large and varied, offering a vast selection of homemade pastas, signature salads, prime steaks, fresh fish and delicious desserts. Private Dining:  Give your guests a reason to celebrate. Whether you’re hosting a business meeting, holiday party, wedding event or birthday celebration, our expert team will ensure it’s executed flawlessly. Host your event in one of our rich, beautifully appointed banquet rooms and enjoy a fresh-made Italian feast. Phone:           (702) 737-5200 Fare:               Italian $$$                 $31-$60 Hours:           Monday - Sunday –11:00 AM – 11:00 PM  Attire             Business Casual to Fine dining Website 7.   EIFFEL TOWER (Paris hotel)

I have read many reviews of happy couples who have celebrated their event at the Eiffel Tower restaurant.  I have performed wedding ceremonies there for couples who wanted to combine their dinner with a wedding. The staff was very attentive. was definitely worth the visit. You can get a reservation with beautiful views overlooking the Bellagio fountains and Vegas strip. It is a very beautiful, elegant restaurant with great food reviews! The views of the Bellagio Fountains at night are spectacular and the atmosphere is very romantic. Many highly recommend it to celebrate and say it was the best restaurant they had ever been to. Phone Number:         (702) 948-6937 Fare:                        Contemporary French $$$                          $31-$60 Hours:  Lunch                       Mon-Fri      11:30 AM - 2:00 PM Brunch                     Sat-Sun      10:00 AM - 2:00 PM Dinner                      Fri-Sat        4:30 PM -  10:45 PM Dinner                      Sun-Thur    4:30 PM  - 10:30 PM Attire:                       Fine dining Website 8.  TOP OF THE WORLD (Stratosphere) $$$$

The slogan for this restaurant is taken from a review: “Taking “romance” to new heights”.  This restaurant rotates 360 degrees while you eat. It’s view is from 106 floors up which gives it the best view in Vegas for dining. It may take your breath away.  My husband and I have also celebrated our anniversary at this restaurant. The views are phenomenal and the food is excellent so I can vouch for the services.  The menu offers many choices to include a three-course pre selected menu featuring your choice of soup or salad, the Surf & Turf with Petite Filet with choice of lobster tail or Shrimp Scampi and a dessert duo. Phone:            (702) 380-7711 Fare:               American, Steakhouse, Seafood, & Gluten Free Options $$$$               Above $61 Hours:             Sunday – Monday 11:00 AM – 11:00 PM Attire:             Formal to dressy      Website        9.  HUGO'S CELLAR (Four Queens)

My husband and I have celebrated an anniversary at Hugo's Cellar.  It is a very romantic, low light and quiet setting for these kinds of occasions. It’s really best in my opinion for a smaller romantic celebration. We had three waiters and it was truly a gourmet dining experience. The attendants and servers are constantly interacting with you and very attentive.  If that is something you want, terrific. Every lady present will be presented a long-stem rose when they arrive. The atmosphere of this restaurant is old-style Las Vegas.  Some of the featured entrees are Black Angus beef, veal, duck chicken, flown-in-fresh seafood, to name a few. They have a nice selection of deserts to include flambéed desserts and white and dark chocolate dipped strawberries, apricot and figs. Phone Number:       (702) 385-4011 Fare:                         Continental, Steakhouse, Steak Dining Style:              Fine Dining $$$                           $31 - $60 Hours:                       Dinner: Monday - Sunday: 5:00 PM - 10:00 PM Dress Code:               Business casual to fine dining Website    These articles offer more reading resources: This is an Article about restaurants for weddings and celebrations in Las Vegas. This article presents a thrill list of the best restaurants on the Vegas Strip. This is a Las Vegas restaurants and best guide article to read. *All photos are in public domain or personal photos.*       Read the full article

Cantonese, Anew at Lung Hin in Marco Polo Ortigas

Whenever I am craving for delicious Chinese food, I usually don’t have to look very far because Lung Hin in Marco Polo Ortigas Manila is always an available and satisfying option. The restaurant features authentic Cantonese cuisine and fresh seafood that are fit for royalty. I have my own personal favorites which I always order, like the Three Flavored Prawns and their huge Hakao, but every so often, the restaurant introduces new outstanding dishes to the menu to give its diners different tastes and experiences. This February, Lung Hin is starting the year with a bang as it offers several exciting new Cantonese dishes to welcome the Year of the Dog.

Lung Hin is a contemporary Chinese restaurant located on the 44th floor of the Marco Polo Ortigas offering traditional and authentic Cantonese food prepared by its very own Hong Kong chefs. Lung Hin has been recognized globally as one of the most outstanding Chinese restaurants outside of China at the 16th China Hotel Industry Golden Horse Awards Gala, also known as the “Oscar” in the hotel industry. The Hungry Kat was invited for a media preview of their new dishes called “Cantonese, Anew” and just like with any visit to Lung Hin, it was an exquisite presentation of some of the finest Cantonese cuisine you can get in Manila.

Lung Hin delights guests through its exemplary service, tasteful interiors and wonderful food creations. The sleek interiors and the expansive layout are coupled with an amazing view of the busy city below from the country’s first Sky Hotel. The restaurant is decked in bright red colors in preparation for the upcoming Chinese New Year celebrations.

Under the helm of the Chinese Executive Chef Lai Cheuk Kou 黎卓球, or also known as Chef Terry Lai, Lung Hin is introducing a new selection of authentic Cantonese dishes, together with the classics, in its new a la carte menu. Chef Terry has over 36 years of experience from different well-known restaurants and hotels around China and Hong Kong, so each dining experience at Lung Hin is almost like eating in Hong Kong itself.

Similar to our previous visits, we were seated inside one of the private VIP rooms for an intimate and exclusive lunch gathering. The Chinese Lunar New Year will be celebrated on February 16, 2018, so this also serves as an advanced Chinese New Year party for the media guests of Marco Polo Ortigas.

We were offered a glass of their Signature Earl Grape Iced Tea, an award-winning beverage that can be found in all Marco Polo properties worldwide (Read about it here). This is probably the fanciest and most exquisite Iced Tea drink in the city and I always look for this whenever I visit the restaurants inside Marco Polo Ortigas.

Our Chinese New Year celebration started with the Prosperity Toss with Salmon Yu Sheng. This is a traditional Teochew-style raw fish salad that usually consists of raw fish mixed with shredded vegetables and a variety of sauces and condiments including oil, vinegar and sugar. 

In Chinese history, fishermen along the coast of Guangzhou traditionally celebrated Renri, the seventh day of the Chinese New Year, by feasting on their catches. Each ingredient of the Yu Sheng has its own meaning and symbolism and every item is poured over the plate before the fun part begins.

The Prosperity Toss is actually an interactive course because all the diners are encouraged to participate by tossing all of the items high up into the air. Yu Sheng implies an “abundance of wealth and long life” and the tossing action signifies tossing up good fortune, which is why it is popular with businessmen and Chinese in general during the New Year.

The result is somewhat messy but that is all part of the ritual. They say the higher the toss, the bigger the wealth, so we all don’t mind the mess. After the action, it’s now time to eat the Yu Sheng salad itself which is actually quite good. The fresh salmon slices are similar to sashimi but with a sweet and sour vinegar dressing. The Prosperity Toss is part of the Chinese New Year set menus available from February 8 to 21, 2018 and this is also available for take out. 

The Steamed Shrimp Dumplings with Gold Leaf is one of my favorite items at Lung Hin and I am happy to be having it again. I just love hakao and these dumplings are filled with huge and plump shrimp. Eating gold shavings is definitely an auspicious way to start the Year of the Earth Dog.

Hong Kong is famous for its roasted ducks so one of the new items Chef Terry is introducing is the Peking Duck with Osmanthus Flower Jelly on Potato Chip. This is a lovely way of presenting the Peking Duck and it is just as yummy. The richness of the duck is balanced by the salty flavors of the potato chip and the flower jelly gives it a contrasting texture. It’s definitely not your usual peking duck and this contemporary style highlights the creativity and expertise of the chef.

Our next course was the Sautéed Tiger Shrimp Ball in Supreme Chicken Stock. This may be just one piece of prawn but it is very big and filling. The both is also outstanding with its light but flavorful consistency that is quite hearty and comforting.

On the other hand, the Double-Boiled Chicken with Red Dates and Wolfberry Soup has a more traditional herbal taste. It comes with a generous serving of chicken inside that absorbs the Chinese herbal flavors. 

One of my favorites among the new dishes is the Pan-Fried Grouper Fillet with Truffle Oil and Sugar Peas. This is a perfectly cooked fish fillet made with light batter that results in a very crunchy coating. The fish is very tender plus the truffle oil gives it that distinct smell and taste. The cute “shrimp” carrot is also a delightful treat. 

A bountiful Chinese New Year lauriat should always come with abalone, so Lung Hin is offering a new abalone dish that is only available for a limited period. The Braised South African Abalone with Hong Kong Dried Sausage and Waxed Meat Fried Rice was part of our media preview and it was just in time for the New Year celebrations. This marine snail is considered a fine ingredient in the culinary world and is indulged only during special occasions due to its limited supply and high value. 

It is believed that abalones are coupled with multiple health benefits, as it is good for the immune system, eyes, liver, kidneys, and used as additional therapy for cancer. The Braised South African Abalone is available in 12 heads at P3,288 per piece. You can find these exquisite abalone at Lung Hin only until February 28, 2018

The Pan-Fried Crispy Egg Noodle with Prawn Ball and Minced Pork was one of the last dishes served at our media preview. We were all quite full but I still had some more space left for this excellent noodle dish topped with plenty of meat and seafood. 

Finally, the Pan-Fried Two Flavoured Chinese New Year Cake is a great way to end our lunch by embracing the New Year with great abundance through auspicious and traditional glutinous rice cakes. With a history that spans over thousands of years, the glutinous rice cakes, also known as nian gao, have always been present in Chinese New Year ceremonies and festivities. The sweet and sticky delicacy is believed to bring prosperity and promises a better year.

Whether it is enjoyed with the family or given as gifts, these are truly perfect staples to celebrate new beginnings. Indulge in this symbolic delicacy with a stylish collection from Lung Hin. Choose between the Double Happiness Koi Nian Gao (P1,388) which includes two pieces of the cake in orange and coconut flavor, or the Traditional Round Nian Gao (P988) with a choice of ube or brown sugar flavor. These delights are available only until February 21, 2018. So start planning your Lunar New Year celebrations and visit Lung Hin this February for an auspicious and gastronomic start to the year.

Lung Hin

44/F Marco Polo Ortigas, Meralco Avenue & Sapphire St., Ortigas Center, Pasig City 720-7777 loc 6621 www.marcopolohotels.com www.facebook.com/MarcoPoloOrtigasManila

Related links:

Forbes Five Star Staycation at Marco Polo Ortigas

Chocolate Tinsel Town at Marco Polo Ortigas Manila

Marco Polo Ortigas Manila’s Cucina Offers Tasty Indulgence

Cucina’s From Palette to Palate Features Art and Culinary Creations of Chef Ramon Antonio

Happy Hour With a View at Vu’s Sky Bar and Lounge Aperitivo

Connect Lounge Launches a New Kind of Afternoon Tea

The Ultimate Guide to Gothenburg: What to Eat, See & Do

Young, progressive, hip, clean, innovative—these are all adjectives I’d use to describe Gothenburg, Sweden’s second largest city and the jumping off point for all west coast road trips. It’s a little bit casual, a little bit cosmopolitan, and a whole lot hipster. In fact, one of its residents told us about the university town: “Gothenburg is not just a beer city—it’s a beard city.” In that respect, it felt a whole lot like home.

But it’s really a place you need to hit the ground running before you can fully appreciate its distinct vibe. Here’s what you can expect from what many refer to as “Little London.”

WHERE TO STAY IN GOTHENBURG

On the front end of our trip, we stayed at the Clarion Post Hotel as part of the Volvo Overseas Delivery Program. This former central post office is one of the city’s finest design hotels with a lobby lined with crystals and an inviting rooftop pool on the 13th floor that offers a full panorama of the city center.

On our return, we spent three nights at Hotel Pigalle, one of Gothenburg’s chicest boutique hotels. And while it’s designed to mimic Paris in the early 1900s, the hotel itself has actually only been around a couple years (yet it already landed on Conde Nast Traveler’s coveted Gold List). Keep your eyes peeled for fun little design accents like strands of pearls and amusing artwork (Karl Lagerfeld as an owl, anyone?).

HOW TO GET AROUND TOWN

We spent most of our time on foot to hit up all the central attractions. Despite just 500,000 residents, Gothenburg is a pretty large city size-wise so if you’re there more than a day or two, you’ll need to turn to additional methods to see the sights.

You could rent a car, but honestly you don’t need it. We talked to Gothenburg residents in their 30s and 40s who had never even bothered to get a driver’s license — the public transportation is that good. We found the tram and bus system very easy to navigate, not to mention reliable; each stop listed the time of the next arrival down to the minute, and we never waited more than five.

You can purchase tickets at any of the sales kiosks or the tourist center, as well as download the app and pay on your phone. Gothenburg’s visitor card (available in 24-, 48- and 72-hour increments) also includes all public transportation: buses, trams, ferries, trains. Like everything else in Sweden, the transportation truly runs like a dream.

If you’re in a pinch, there are also plenty of taxis—some of which are even Teslas (#OnlyInSweden)—and we wound up calling one to go to the airport when we were in danger of missing our flight.

WHERE TO GET KILLER INSTAGRAM SHOTS

Dorsia. This burlesque-inspired hotel may be the sexiest place in all of Gothenburg with its bold artwork and red velvet accents. We didn’t stay here, but we did settle into the living room one rainy afternoon for cocktails as we sipped our way through the extensive gin menu.

The Palm House. This green house is located right smack in the middle of the well-manicured lawns of the Garden Society of Gothenburg, an urban oasis that dates back to the 19th century and boasts thousands of roses. It was raining throughout most of our time in Gothenburg, but that didn’t stop us from seeking shelter indoors and enjoying the exotic plants (and the warm temps) of the indoors Palm House.

Gothenburg Museum of Art. I’m not typically a museum fan, but I couldn’t help but love the modern art filling Gothenburg’s stately museum. We saw paintings from famed Scandinavian artists such as Edvard Munch and marveled over the sculptures. There was even a Ping Pong installation where I got to use my skills to school SVV in the art of table tennis.

Upper House Spa. A protruding outdoor hot tub that hangs 19 stories above the ground and boasts killer views of Liseberg and the city beyond? I almost couldn’t believe it myself. But this three-level spa housed in Gothia Towers is one of the coolest places I’ve visited ever. (Pro tip: Stay in the on-site hotel, and your spa bill and fitness classes will be 20 percent off.)

Haga. The old town may be one of the more touristy sections in the city, but it’s also the oldest. The entire block is lined with cute, colorful wooden houses, many of them some hundreds of years old.

Gothenburg Botanical Garden. A 20-minute tram ride from the center of town, Gothenburg’s botanical garden (Botaniska Trädgården) is one of the largest in northern Europe (not to mention, most beautiful). Spanning more than 400 acres, this gorgeous slice of greenery took us more than an hour to walk through thanks to its more than 16,000 species of plants to fawn over.

WHERE TO EAT & DRINK

Jerntorgets Brygghus. There are a handful of craft breweries within Gothenburg—it’s a scene very much on the rise—but only a couple you can actually visit (and even those are either reservation-only or have odd days and hours, like open every other Friday). Luckily, we found this friendly taproom on the fringe of the tourist district, Haga, that stocked everything we could want and more.

SK Mat & Människor. This contemporary restaurant helmed by restaurateur Stefan Karlsson has an open kitchen so you can watch the chefs in action as they whip up your meal (translated in English, the restaurant’s name means “food and people”). Awarded a star in the Michelin guide, it’s a great excuse for a date night, as well as the prime spot to sample all the regional delights. We had the tasting menu—three of the four courses of which was a different kind of fish from West Sweden—complete with wine pairings.

Feskekôrka. Built in 1874, the “fish church” is exactly as it sounds: a Gothic-style, church-like structure that houses a fish market. Insider, there’s also a second-floor restaurant, Gabriel, that overlooks the market and serves one of the best meals we had in all of Sweden (make reservations as the dining area is small). It’s known for its Swedish oysters, which taste like the ocean itself, but I was a huge fan of the “fish burger,” which was baked cod in casserole form and drowned in butter.

Saluhallen. Little has changed in the city’s resident market hall in Kungstorget since 1889 when it was completed. It’s still a popular spot for locals to grab lunch on the go from any of the many stalls or pick up meat, artisan cheese, spices, wine, chocolate, or other delicacies for dinner or to take as gifts.

Da Matteo. I embraced the concept of “fika” when I lived in Scandinavia more than a decade ago and was thrilled to learn that it’s still very much alive today in Sweden. On our first morning in Gothenburg, we stopped by the iconic Da Matteo roastery in Magasinsgatan for a latte and cardamom bun (and then returned on days two and three, as well!).

Forssén Öberg. This champagne bar offers a wide selection of bubbles by the glass or bottle, plus a bevy of seasonal Swedish dishes (read: lots of fish). We had the three-course tasting menu complete with champagne/wine pairings. I know what you’re thinking, and you’re right: We did not eat poorly on this trip!

Mr. P. We visited the modern brasserie in the art museum twice: once for cocktails (so good!) and again for lunch (also, delicious). Just don’t pass the chance to visit the adjoining modern art museum while you’re there.

Kafé Magasinet. You know those days when you’re playing tourist so hard and nothing sounds better than sitting down for a spell with a large beer for company? That’s how we felt after walking what felt like 100 miles around Gothenburg one day. We saw the entrance to Kafé Magasinet’s courtyard as we were tooling around Haga and mentally bookmarked it for when we needed a rest. The interior was every bit as lovely as we could hope when we returned an hour later, and the spacious café has both indoor and outdoor seating and serves fika, food and a full bar.

Food trucks in Magasinsgatan. Like so many other big cities, Gothenburg has a burgeoning food truck scene. There are always a couple ones in rotation parked right out front of the da Mateo in Magasinsgatan.

Atelier. On our final night at Hotel Pigalle, we headed up to the fourth floor for a feast in the on-site restaurant. I’m not sure what I loved more: the décor (a hodgepodge of patterns and textures occupying a cozy space with a slanted ceiling) or the meal (a three-course tasting menu of regional specialties and our first meal of the trip that wasn’t all seafood).

FOODS YOU MUST TRY

Swedish meatballs, with lingonberry sauce

Västerbottensost, a decadent savory cheese pie

Cod bake with brown butter, preferably from the Fish Church

Langoustine, saltwater crayfish

Kardemommebulle, cardamom buns

Any fresh-caught fish with dill sauce, the Swedish herb of choice

With its seven Michelin star restaurants, Gothenburg definitely lived up to its reputation of being a culinary destination, though as evidenced above, we found more to do there than just eat and drink.

Any favorite Gothenburg spots that I should put on my list for next trip?

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Of all the Italian cities I have been to in Italy (and I’ve visited quite a few), I would say that Milan is the “trendiest” when it comes to groceries. Not only does the city have a wealth of small independent organic grocery stores, but vendors in Milan also sell products that I haven’t been able to find in other cities, such as sprouted foods. The organic grocery stores are large and have excellent selection. It may not be the most aesthetically pleasing of Italy’s city’s, but you will definitely eat well while here!

ORGANIC GROCERY STORES

Bio c’ Bon is a chain of grocery stores with three locations in Milan. Some of the more interesting products that they carry include sprouted pancake flour, spirulina powder, maca powder, acai powder, popcorn made with coconut oil, organic mascarpone, honeycomb, carob powder, raw sprouted crackers, and oat cakes without dairy or wheat. It is a good place to buy butter and cheese. They also have bulk dry foods and a medium-sized produce section.

Address: Corso di Porta Nuova, 52, 20121 Milano

Hours: 9am – 8pm Monday through Saturday; 10am – 7pm Sunday

Centro Botanico has three locations in Milan. In addition to being a grocery store they are also a cafe and have a mini bookstore that carries health-related books in Italian. They carry a large variety of products including wild fish in extra virgin olive oil in glass jars (I saw branzino, salmon, sardines, orata, tuna, and octopus), tuna burgers, pestos, tomato sauces, mustards, olive pastes, macrobiotic products, apple cider vinegar, lots of different olive oils, bruschetta, flours (such as chickpea, teff, millet, oatmeal, rye, and buckwheat), hummus, ghee, eggs, creme fraiche, kefir, water kefir, smoked fish, canned crab, and many flavors of jam (e.g. goji, pineapple and lemon, pomegranate, orange and ginger, fig, and rose hip).

Address: Via Cesare Correnti, 10, 20123 Milano

Hours: 9am – 7:45pm Monday through Saturday; 3pm – 7:30pm Sunday

NaturaSì is what I like to call the Whole Foods of Italy. This chain of organic grocery stores carries a wide selection of produce, dairy, meat, grains, legumes, house cleaning and personal care products, baking ingredients, and many other items.

Address: Corso Indipendenza, 7, 20129 Milano (there are other locations in the city as well)

Hours: 9am – 7:30pm Monday through Saturday; closed Sunday

Superpolo is one of my favorite markets in Milan. It’s a well-sized organic market that also has an amusing imports section stocked with minced meat, marmite, canned pumpkin, Ocean Spray cranberry sauce, and crappy American peanut butter. Besides selling products I have never seen before anywhere, such as powdered banana and powdered cranberries, they also sell some very taste goose and duck foie gras and wild salmon eggs. Superpolo has biodynamic rice, orzo, and farro; a wide variety of whole grains (e.g. couscous, millet, teff, amaranth, bulgar, quinoa, oatmeal, etc.) and seeds (e.g. chia, flax, pumpkin, sunflower, hemp, poppy, and sesame); frozen seafood; pickled quail eggs; Asian products (e.g. umeboshi, mirin, teriyaki sauce, tamari, miso, and umeboshi vinegar); maple syrup; and dairy (including organic buttermilk, biodynamic Greek yogurt, goat milk yogurt, ghee, emmental cheese, and organic grilling cheese). They also sell produce, supplements, natural cosmetics, essential oils, and personal care products.

Address: Viale Coni Zugna, 65, 20144 Milano

Hours: 9am – 8pm Monday through Saturday; 10am – 1pm, 4pm – 7:30pm Sunday

SempreBio is a smallish organic market and cafe combo. They carry all of the basics that one could need to stock a pantry, including fresh fruits and vegetables. Some interesting finds include raw cocoa beans, kamut flour, black quinoa, brown millet, several biodynamic cheeses (e.g. ricotta, robiolina fresca, primosalino, and crescenza), kuzu, and ghee. They also sell Pacari chocolate, which is a single-origin, raw, organic, and biodynamic brand of chocolate (and very tasty, might I add).

Address: Via Giuseppe Broggi, 13, 20129 Milano

Hours: 9am – 8pm Monday through Saturday; closed Sunday

Piacere Terra is an organic food store chain like Naturasi. It is located rather far from the city center to the northwest. I personally didn’t make it out there, but I include it here for completeness.

Address: Viale Brenta, 35A, 20139 Milano

Hours: 8:30am – 8pm Monday through Saturday; closed Sunday

Almaverde Bio Market is located on the northwestern side of the city, a bit of a ways from the center (i.e., you wouldn’t want to take a stroll here from downtown). It’s a combo market and cafe with your average bio offerings.

Address: Corso Sempione, 43, 20145 Milano

Hours: 8:30am – 8pm Monday through Saturday; closed Sunday

Biomì is a supermarket like Naturasi. If you are staying on the northern side of the city then it may be convenient for you. It is located quite a ways away from the city center but is accessible by public transport.

Address: Via Emilio de Marchi, 59, 20125 Milano

Hours: 10am – 2:30pm, 3:30pm – 8pm Monday through Friday; 10am – 8pm Saturday; closed Sunday

NEIGHBORHOOD ORGANIC MARKETS

Il Casolino is rather small and probably out of the way for most people. In addition to the store it also has a cafe inside. The only unique items I saw at this store compared to other organic shops were the wild pecans and organic pine nuts. They of course carry all the standard fare of Italian bio stores, but do not have fresh produce. Pop in if its location is convenient for you, but otherwise I’d skip it.

Address: Via Paracelso, 10, 20129 Milano

Hours: 10:30am – 7:30pm Monday; 9:30am – 7:30pm Tuesday through Saturday; closed Sunday

Il Mercato Verde is the only shop in Italy where I have seen Dr. Bronner’s soap for sale, although unfortunately it is rather expensive. Also, if you’re looking for a Himalayan salt lamp you can pick it up here!

Address: Via Edoardo Bassini, 43, 20133 Milano

Hours: 8:30am – 7:30pm Monday through Saturday; closed Sunday

Mamma Natura is located far from the city center on the northeastern side of town. They sell bulk dry goods (e.g. grains, spices, teas, seeds, legumes, etc.), cosmetics, and have a cheese counter.

Address: Via Carnia, 7, 20132 Milano

Hours: 8:30am – 2pm, 4pm – 7:30pm Monday through Friday; 10am – 1pm, 4pm – 7:30pm Saturday/Sunday

Armonie nei Gusti is rather far to the northeast of the city center. They carry products for Celiacs, macrobiotic products, cosmetics, and organic packaged items (e.g. seeds, legumes, pastas, chocolate, tea, etc.).

Address: Viale don Luigi Orione, 14, 20132 Milano

Hours: 8:30am – 12:30pm, 3:30pm – 7:30pm Tuesday through Saturday; closed Sunday and Monday

SPECIALTY SHOPS

La Baita del Formaggio has an understated appearance from the street and would be easily passed by any pedestrian unless you knew what treasures lay in wait inside. This cheese shop and was one of the highlights for me while staying in Milan and I would recommend a visit to anyone who is passionate about cheese.

The cheeses will change depending on when you visit as some of them are seasonal, but during my visit La Baita had in stock taleggio la baita, pagnottella di capra, blue stilton, gouda, gorgonzola allo champagne, truffle cheese, and pecorino from Sardegna, to name a few. The gouda came in three different flavors: basil, tomato, and pepperoncino. I cannot rave enough about how amazing the flavor of the basil gouda was. In addition to their fantastic cheeses, they also have great customer service and the shop also has a small coffee bar. What else could one ask for in life?

  Address: Via Vincenzo Foppa 5, Milano

Hours: 8:30am – 10pm daily

Peck will cost you a pretty penny, but the food is top-notch and the location can’t be beat as it’s right in the heart of Milan. It’s a hybrid store with cold and hot foods bars, a cheese bar, wine cellar, deli, a fresh pasta bar, greengrocer, and patisserie. While it is probably not affordable for most to shop here for a full meal, the cheese bar is worth a visit. Some of the cheeses for sale include Roquefort, Coulommiers, sheep’s milk ricotta, Gorgonzola, Camembert, Brie, Crescenza, Stilton, Emmentaler, Sbrinz, Gruyere, Holzhofer, Fontina, Toma di Gressoney, and Gran Cru di Grotta. While I was there I picked up some slices of very tasty eggplant parmesan and potato gratin that was, quite literally, melt-in-your-mouth delicious. Peck is a world of gastronomic wonders and a feast for the eyes filled with pâtés, Russian salad, endless spreads of seafood dishes, jellied meats for days, and numerous other hard to find treats for the taste buds.

Address: Via Spadari, 9, Milano

Hours: 3pm – 8pm Monday; 9am – 8pm Tuesday through Saturday; closed Sunday

  Gruppo Apicoltori Riuniti is a honey store dedicated to selling products from the art of apiculture (aka beekeeping). They sell a wide variety of Italian honeys and honey derivatives, such as propolis, propolis tinctures and sprays, pollen, etc.

Address: Piazzale Lagosta, 2, 20124 Milan

Hours: 3:30pm – 7:30pm Monday; 9:30am – 12:30pm, 3:30pm – 7:30pm Tuesday through Saturday; closed Sunday

Effecorta is a sustainable, zero-waste shop located in northern Milan. They stock products from local producers and use no packaging. Effecorta sells bulk pastas, cereals, legumes, rice, detergents etc.

Address: Via Franco Faccio, 11, 20161 Milan

Hours: 3:30pm – 7:30pm Monday; 9am – 1pm, 3:30pm – 7:30pm Tuesday through Saturday; closed Sunday

Il Supermarket del Celiaco is exactly what the name proclaims it to be: a supermarket for Celiacs. The store is a bit of a distance to the northwest from the city center, and you have plenty of good options for buying food stuffs for Celiacs in other organic stores in the city, but if you want an even bigger selection of Celiac-safe foods then go here.

Address: Largo Domodossola, 17, 20145 Milano

Hours: closed Monday and Sunday; 9am – 7:30pm Tuesday through Saturday

RAW MILK VENDORS

Unfortunately there are no raw milk vending machines in the city center or within walking distance of Milan. Some of the non-organic vending machines are reachable by public transport within around 45 minutes from the city center. You can look at a map of where all the vendors are by clicking here.

CONVENTIONAL GROCERY STORES

The most common grocery store chains you will see in Milan include Simply, Pam, Carrefour, and Esselunga. At Simply you can pick up items like DOP pecorino, Scaldasole certified biodynamic yogurt, and organic Sterzing-Vipiteno yogurt. And, of course, these supermarket chains are always good for picking up things like feminine care products and plastic bags.

Grocery Guide: Milan Of all the Italian cities I have been to in Italy (and I've visited quite a few), I would say that Milan is the "trendiest" when it comes to groceries.

Things to do in Karakol That Don’t Just Involve Hiking!

If you’re planning on travelling to Kyrgyzstan primarily to go trekking, chances are you’re going to pass through Karakol.

This city, which has more of a town feel, sits on the eastern shores of Issyk Kul and draws hikers from far and wide, but many travellers use Karakol as a quick pit stop and never really get to experience much of the town.

Things to do in Karakol

There may have been a time when there wasn’t much to do in Karakol, but the people in the tourism scene have been working hard to develop new experiences for travellers. Even coming back less than a year after my first visit (I took a day trip here during the World Nomad Games), I was surprised by how much more Karakol had in store!

They now offer free walking tours, cooking classes, traditional dinners with local families, and that’s on top of all the outdoor activities and overnight treks that Karakol is already known for.

For anyone planning on travelling this way, here’s a look at what you can get up to:

Join a free walking tour of Karakol

Karakol offers free city walking tours (though you are encouraged to tip your local guide at the end) that showcase some of the city’s main landmarks. If you’ve just arrived in town, this can be a great way to get a feel of the place and also get a few suggestions of things to do in Karakol from your local guide.

Some of the stops on our tour included:

Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Church – A traditional Russian wooden cathedral with onion domes. Over the years it has been used as a school, ladies’ gymnasium, sports hall, theater, dance hall and even a coal shop!

Dungan Mosque – This mosque is unique because architecturally it looks a lot like a Buddhist temple. This is because it was built by the Dungan community, an ethnically Chinese people group who follows Islam, and their heritage played a big role in the design of their mosque. The building’s claim to fame is that it was built entirely without nails, though our guide admitted that someone in his tour once spotted a nail – maybe it was added for repairs after the initial building phase?

Karakol Historical Museum – This is a small museum with a rather large collection of stuffed animals, but what I really enjoyed was the temporary black and white photo exhibition by Ella Maillart, a Swiss adventuress who travelled solo through Central Asia in the 1930s and captured some amazing street scenes now frozen in time.

Browse for Soviet-era antiques

If you’re an avid souvenir collector then you’ll want to swing by the Antique Shop of Aleksandr Korablev on the corner of Toktogul & Jamansariev.

This little one-room shop is overflowing with treasures from the Soviet era and it’s a fun place to browse. The shop had old cameras, pins from the Russian Olympics, porcelain dolls, old postcards, busts of Lenin, jewellery boxes, and just about anything you could think of.

Since Sam is a hat collector, we picked up a Soviet-era border patrol officer’s hat complete with a hammer and sickle. I can already picture it next to the Kyrgyz felt hat we bought on our last trip.

Explore Karakol’s food scene

One of the coolest things about Karakol is that this is a city where different cultures meet, creating a delicious melting pot of flavours. I have another blog post about food in Karakol in the works, but in the meantime, here are a few of my favourite food experiences:

Having a traditional Dungan feast – According to Dungan tradition, there can be no less than 8 different dishes at the table, and as you can see from the spread below, they take that very seriously! We went for a family meal at a local Dungan home where we had a feast of a dinner.

Learning to make laghman – Laghman is an Uyghur dish that consists of wheat noodles, served either in a soup or stir-fried. We joined a cooking class in an Uyghur home, where we learned the art of rolling out the noodles (it’s trickier than it looks!) and then enjoyed a meal together.

Eating all the Ashlyan-fu – This is hands down my favourite dish in all of Kyrgyzstan! Ashlyan-fu is a Dungan dish made from wheat and starch noodles. It’s served with a cold vinegar-based broth with chopped vegetables, chilli, garlic and fresh cilantro. It’s both spicy yet refreshing and you can find it in markets and restaurants across town.

Visit Jeti Ögüz and venture into the valley

The name Jeti Ögüz translates to Seven Bulls and it’s a red rock formation that draws visitors on a half-day trip from Karakol. While I think it makes for a nice photo, I think the real gem is the Jeti Ögüz Valley, which sits on the opposite side of the rocks and can be reached via a dirt road and 5 rickety wooden bridges. Here you’ll find yourself surrounded by forests, fields, grazing animals, and snowcapped mountains.

We only visited for the day, but on the drive into the valley we noticed that there were yurt camps for travellers as well as horse trekking services, so it’s certainly possible to spend a bit more time here. This is also a popular spot for a weekend picnic with Kyrgyz families, so you should consider packing a picnic of your own.

Hike up to the Barskoon Waterfalls

Another easy half-day trip from Karakol is the Barskoon Gorge which is home to numerous waterfalls.

You’ll know you’ve arrived once you reach the bust of Yuri Gagarin, the first cosmonaut, standing proud just off the main road. Apparently, he was quite fond of Issyk Kul’s south shore and even spent some time vacationing here after his first flight into space.

From Gagarin’s bust, several dirt trails break off in different directions up the mountain, all leading to various waterfalls. The closest waterfall is just a short 15-minute walk from the main road, but the main one is about a 1.5-hour hike through the forest. Since we were a bit pressed for time, we only tackled the closest waterfall, but it was impressive nevertheless.

Go on a day hike from Karakol

If you’re not yet wiped from the overnight treks from Karakol, or if you’re looking for a ‘warm up’ before you commit to anything longer, then there are a few short half-day hikes to choose from.

We did our half-day hike with Eco-Trek, which started just outside the village of Jorgolot. The first two hours were the toughest since we were hiking uphill into the valley, but once we reached the pass, things really started looking up. We had sweeping views of the valley, forests and snowy peaks off in the distance, so we did the sensible thing and pulled out our picnic right on the spot.

From here, we hiked downhill through the valley, before entering the forest (what a treat it was to get a bit of shade!), and working our way down the other side of the mountain.

We had been told this hike would take us about 3.5 hours, but it took us 5 in the end. I think it was a combination of me struggling uphill during the first stretch and Sam stopping to fly the drone, but our guide was pretty chill and let us take our merry time and as many breaks as we needed.

Take a sunset cruise on Issyk Kul

Karakol sits on the eastern shores of Issyk Kul, which is the second largest mountain lake in the world after Lake Titicaca and the second largest saline lake in the world after the Caspian Sea.

The name Issyk Kul translates to ‘warm lake’ in Kyrgyz since it doesn’t freeze in winter due to the salinity, but don’t go in expecting the warm waters of the Caribbean either. I tried going in during the summer months and only managed to get a toe in the water!

Which brings me to my next point: even if you don’t go swimming, you can experience the beauty of the lake on a sunset cruise.

Our tour departed from Przhevalsky Bay shortly before sunset and it lasted about an hour and a half. The waters were calm, we were surrounded by mountains as far as the eye could see, and the boat also had drinks on board, which made it a great way to spend our last day in Karakol with friends.

Other activities in Karakol

These are just a few of my favourite things to do in Karakol, but there are plenty of other activities that could keep you occupied around town: you could go to the banyas (baths and sauna), soak in the hot springs, visit a few different museums, and if you visit in winter, you could even go skiing!

Info for visiting Karakol

Accommodations:

Karakol has a selection of hotels, guesthouses and hostels to fit all budgets – you can get a better idea of prices in town here.

We stayed at the Tagaytay Guesthouse which was a few short blocks from the centre of town. The rooms were small, but clean and comfortable, plus the staff was helpful and they also had a really nice and varied breakfast.

You can find them listed on AirBnB here, and if it’s your first time using AirBnB, you can get $40 off here.

Transportation:

It’s about a 5-6 hour drive from Bishkek to Karakol, so you likely won’t do it all in one go. There are plenty of places to visit and tours you can take along the way, so I would personally break up the journey with a stop along Issyk-Kul’s south shore.

Locals get around via marshrutkas (minivans) and shared taxis – you can get more info on how that works here. That being said, our group along with most of the foreign travellers we met, were all using drivers to get around.

You can arrange drivers through CAT Kyrgyzstan (Central Asia Tourism Company Kyrgyzstan), and while it costs a bit more, it does save you a lot of time in the long run as you’re not waiting for minivans and taxis to fill up with people.

Booking tours and activities:

To book any tours in and around Karakol, you can visit the Destination Karakol office at 22 Gagarin Street where you can get further information about any tours you may be interested in. Their offices are right next door to the Fat Cat Cafe. Alternatively, you can message them directly through their Facebook page where they are very active. For day hikes and overnight treks, you can visit the Eco Trek office on the corner of Abdrahmanov Street and Koenkozov Street.

Travel Insurance:

I always recommend travelling with travel insurance, even more so if you’re going to be taking part in adventure activities somewhere as remote as Kyrgyzstan. You can get a travel insurance quote for your trip here.

Have you travelled in Karakol? What were some of your favourite things to do in and around town?

This trip was made possible with the support of Discover Kyrgyzstan. As always, all opinions expressed here are my own.

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