#ghost jambu

[buzz-london]

Ganga Avatarn - descendend of the Ganges

What is the source of the sacred Ganges? Is it the Gangorti glacier in the Himalayas, or the Mansarovar near mount Kailash? or the kamandal of God Brahma or the matted locks of the Mahadeva?

The truth is more complex that that!

Happy Ganga Deshra - the day Ganges came to Earth.

The sacred Ganges flows beyond the universe we reside in and surrounds the egg-shaped brahmand we live in. When Vishnu took the form of Vaman to deprive Emperor Bali of his universal empire, his first step covered the terrestrial empire of Bali. His second step covered the universe and his toe punctured a hole in the brahmand, letting the sacred Ganges flow into this universe. 

Brahma, the creator of this universe, captured the stream of the Ganges that came through the hole and washed the toe of Vaman-Virat in his Kamandal. 

Eons later, King Sagar of the Surya vansha (Solar dynasty), performed an Ashwamedha yagna. Indra hid his horse in the Ashram of sage Kapil to obstruct the yagna. Sagars 60,000 sons looked everywhere for the horse, digging up the earth in the process. They eventually found the horse in sage Kapila’s ashram and accused him of stealing the horse. To quell their violent attack, sage Kapil reduced them to ashes. Having been killed by rishi’s wrath, their souls wondered as ghosts and could not progress to their next life or ascend to the regions of the ancestors. 

Sagar’s grandson Anshuman found the ashes of his uncles and pleaded with sage Kapil to liberate their souls.  Sage Kapil, one of the 24 avatars of God Vishnu, advised Anshuman to bring the Ganges to liberate the souls of his uncles. 

Anshuman brought back the sacrificial horse and king Sagar completed his Ashwamedh yagna. Anshuman, in his later years, performed taapasya to bring the Ganges to earth, but the divine river refused to grant his wish. His son king Dilip performed taapasya too, but he too failed to convince the river to come. His son Bhagirath decided to try a different tact and did tapasya of God Brahma to bring the sacred river to the earth.  

Brahma, pleased with the accumulated punya of 3 generations who did tapasya for the liberation of their ancestors, granted Bhagirath’s wish and instructed Ganges to go to Earth and liberate the souls of 60,000 princes. Ganges explained to God Brahma that the reason she didn’t want to come down is that if she descended from the heavens to the Earth, her force would shatter this small planet and kill all who live on it. How could she wreck such destruction for sake of 60,000?

King Bhagirath did taapasya of God Shiva and requested his advise and assistance in solving this matter. Knowing the innermost thoughts of ALL, Shiva knew that the real reason Ganges didn’t want to come is because she didn’t want to sully herself with the sins of the 60,000 princes who had angered sage Kapil.

Forever benevolent, Shiva saw the benefit of bringing Ganges to earth and liberating COUNTLESS souls with her sacred touch. He agreed to break the fall of Ganges as she descended to Earth and save the planet from destruction. 

Ganges, flowed through Shishumar chakra, Dhruva mandal, Svarga and came to Bhumandal (earth). The force of her meteoric descent would have indeed shattered the earth, but Shiva captured her immense flow in his matted locks. Bound in his jata, now Ganga pleaded to be let out! Shiva the generous, let her flow his jata and descend gracefully to the Earth. He instructed her to follow King Bhagirath to Kapil Ashram where his ancestors awaited their liberation. 

The Ganges meandered though the mountains of the Himalaya, on to the plains of Arya-Varta, across the Jambu Dvipa (Indian subcontinent) and came to Kapil Ashram. Her very touch liberated the souls of 60,000 princes who had suffered for centuries as ghost. The Ganges flowed in to the holes dug by the princes and filled them, creating the ‘Sagar’ - Bay of Bengal. 

Though she initially came to liberate the sons of King Sagar, Ganges continues to liberate the souls of ALL who touch her waters. Those who drink and bathe in it are purified by her touch. Those whose ashes are immersed in its sacred waters are liberated from the cycle of birth and death. 

Milky way on top of Mount Kailash - as if the lila of the descent of the Ganges is playing eternally on mount Kailash and the goddess is descending on the matted locks of Shiva! 

[definitelynotarabbit]

Okay so this was going in the tags but I have thoughts so here we are

Shi Qingxuan is a Jambu Fruit Dove and He Xuan is a Vancouver Sea Wolf. Now you may be asking "Why these two hyper-specific animals?" Well I'm glad you asked!

NGL the colors had a lot to do with me picking the fruit dove, but I couldn't find a parrot with enough innocence symbolism to make me happy. That said, doves being associated with freedom and peace fit pretty damn well in my opinion. Additionally, I really like the idea of them being a Mourning Dove post-divinity.

He Xuan is a sea wolf because of the inherent tragedy of a wolf with no family, as well as something I haven't seen talked about a lot that I find fascinating. He Xuan didn't have any reason to become a water ghost. He didn't drown, he wasn't at sea, he wasn't fated to become a water god because Shi Wudu's fate never got messed with. So in the same way that the sea wolf is adapting to what is unnatural in any other circumstance He Xuan became Black Water Sinking Ships.

People brainstorm with me !! (please)

Okay so Xie Lian ferret yes ? yes!

Hua Cheng fox right right !!

What about beefleaf WHAT animels are they ???!!??

Help qwq

[who-is-this-weirdo]

Hi there! For your most recent ask game, I hope you don't mind if I send you this emoji 📓? I hope you have a great day/night!

I lost the thing I wrote all day but basically a rewritte of the first wof serie, the differences being :

Book 1 : Dragonnet Are Coming

The "real" dod and "fake" meet at the end of the book, all through we will have the point view of both Clay and Orche, also, Kestrel lives because she still need to get a semblance of redemption but Peril still doesn't join her

Book 2 : The Lost Heirs

No accidental flirt between Tsunami and Riptide, she actually taunts him by accident and Squid stop the fight that unsues, it goes as it should, this time Coral doesn't really want to cage Starflight and Fatespeaker but both are in love with Sunny so they follow her, however, Glory escape and turn invisible, we still have the scene where we learn that Coral is a writer but we have a bonus, aka a cameo of Turtle and Squid is the one to take the scrolls since as they are made directly by the queen those are precious. The morning, Tsunami and Anemone talks as normal, there's no dead kestrel so Squid and Tsunami have some time to talk and Squid realised that Coral's writting are full of propaganda, they also do a little lesson of Aquatic, we have the scene with the council and the guards, then the scene where Turtoise gets ripped appart, learning about the storm things go as canon and they get back to their friends being pissed off, well before Fatespeaker and Sunny sees the egg and gets all emotional, Viper is the one carrying the egg this time since being a full blood Sandwing she is probably warmer than Sunny. They get somewhere safe, things goes as canon, but Tsunami nearly loose the egg when Squid who was asked to stay behind disobey and opens the door. Auklet is born, they bond a little with Anemone then they meet Blister, dine with her, notice how Starflight is being a talon-licker with her, when Sunny says she would like to also meet the two other sisters things are about to go to shit but Anemone intervenes and talks about her powers, we get the animus training then a guards bring back Webs, things go as canon but the Gang gets freed by a guard who looks at Starflight like they are looking at a ghost (they are the one Farsight saved), they also free Riptide and Webs when Anemones barges in, screaming that there is an attack they all ru away, getting attacked by Wirlpool on the way (Anemones kills him). The Epilogue is basically the Gang, Webs and Anemone discussing where will they go, Squid ask Riptide to go to the talons of peace and tell them everyone is okay. Webs and Anemone stay with the Gang.

Book 3 : The Hidden Kingdoms

Same thing, just that the Rainwings aren't idiots, no Glorybringer, Flame is also a Pov and get his scar by jumping between Grandeur and Kinkajou during the royal challenge, Pineaple is also more present and both Starflight and Fatespeaker goes to the night kingdom, also since Anemone is there we have some hints at Anemarin and the Rainwings queens all symbolise one sin each.

Book 4 : A Dark Secret

No Fake DoD plot, they befriend Greatness, Secretkeeper and Deathbringer tho, they still find out about the plan but are helped out of the Island by Secretkeeper and Deathbringer, they are found by Pineaple and Jambu, bring back by to the Rainwing village with the two other Nightwing, all brainstorm a plan, Starflight notices Sunny and Fatespeaker being "pal gals", the plan goes as canon without freeing Deathbringer this time since he's okay, they still learn the truth about the prophecy, Starflight still get blinded

Book 5 : The Brighest Night

Change for the prologue, we see the birth of both sets of dragonnets, the start of the story is the same tho, Sunny gets kindapped, Viper follows and help her out, they go to the Scorpion den, then get dragged into Burn's Stronghold, still meets Scarlet, Peril still tries to free this one AND Kestrel is also here since the rumor that Burn had a Dragonnet of Destiny was running wild, canon stuff, They meet Stonemoover, They go to Moorhen and we meet Ochre's siblings, it basically ends like in canon but Glory doesn't disguise herself since Fuego is here

First draft and ideas

[yourdeepestfathoms]

Six Pokémon AU

some teams are missing Pokémon because the site i used has yet to update with the Sword and Shield Pokémon so bear with me

Catherine of Aragon

Nicknames and genders: Tempest (female); Queenie (female); Gryffindor (male); Scarlet (female); Bishop (male); Foggy (female)

Tempest is Aragon’s partner. She’s raised her ever since she was a Shinx. They’ve been together all through Aragon’s run as queen.

Scarlet is like Aragon’s second-in-command. Aragon got her as a gift when she was just a Litleo and evolved her into a Pyroar. She and Tempest are inseparable.

The first Pokémon Aragon caught after reincarnation was Queenie, who she just...vibed with. She really liked the Vespiquen’s aura and wanted to add her to the team. And she did!

Gryffindor was named by Cathy, if you couldn’t tell

Anne Boleyn

Nicknames and genders: Bandit (male); Splendid (female); Hokey Pokey (female); Frisk (male); Screech (female); Booboo (male)

Bandit is Anne’s partner. They met when Anne was still very young. He comforted her when she moved to the kingdom and kept her safe.

That being said, Bandit is fiercely protective of Anne

Anne, during a show: And now, Screech!!

Screech, at max volume:

*screeches*

Anne: That’s my girl!!

At least one of her Pokémon are dancing with her

Jane Seymour

Nicknames and genders: Lady (female); Honey (female); Morgana (female); Jewel (female); Nessie (female); Sire (male)

Lady is Jane’s partner.

Lady lost her baby, so she doesn’t have a little Kangaskhan in her pouch.

So she was really protective of Jane when she got pregnant because she didn’t want her human to lose her baby, too.

What a shame that it wasn’t the baby that was lost

Lady stayed alive for a little while after Jane’s death and took care of Edward until her passing.

Honey and Jewel were found together by Lady and Jane when they were just a Sewaddle and Ralts. Jane and Lady raised them and evolved them, so they’re all really close.

After reincarnation, Honey and Jewel got reunited with Jane and Lady. It was very heartwarming

Sire is Jane’s big boy

She loves him so much

Anna of Cleves

Nicknames and genders: Pixie (male); Livewire (male); Ruby (female); Umber (male); Camelot (male); Atlas (female)

Pixie is Cleves’ partner. They became a team when Pixie was a Herdier.

Cleves had several other dog Pokémon, but, unfortunately, Livewire and Ruby were the only ones who made it through reincarnation.

None of her horse Pokémon came back, so when she saw Umber trotting around the nearby park and causing disruptions, she knew she HAD to have him

Camelot is just a babey

He’s heavy but Cleves carries him anyway

Cleves loves Atlas’ attitude

Where does she store all that sass

(Her claws)

Katherine Howard

Nicknames and genders: Duchess (female); Magnificent (female); Dazzling (female); Tulip (female); Wolfie (female); Octavia (female)

Duchess is Katherine’s partner and never evolved because Katherine lowkey was afraid she wouldn’t like her anymore once she becomes a Purugly.

Which is fine for Duchess tbh not evolving doesn’t bother her

After Katherine’s death, Duchess was sold, but died because she stopped eating due to grief over the loss of her trainer.

Them reuniting was very tearful.

Also yeah all of Katherine’s Pokémon are female

She can’t wait until Octavia evolves

Catherine Parr

Nicknames and genders: Clearsight (female); Mastermind (genderless); Dreamcatcher (male); Solar Flare (genderless); Sepia (female); Ballerina (female)

Clearsight is Parr’s partner. She was already a Noctowl when they met, so Parr didn’t evolve her from a Hoothoot. Still, they’re very close.

Parr thinks Mastermind and Solae Flare are very intriguing, so she does a lot of research on them.

She isn’t big on Pokémon battles, but Sepia is her strongest Pokémon

Dreamcatcher sometimes will just curl up on her head and it’s pretty damn cute

Ballerina likes to be out during performances so she can dance

Bessie

Nicknames and genders: Flower (female); King (male); Kohga (male); Caliburn (female); Ombré (female); Ophelia (female)

Flower is Bessie’s partner. The two met when Bessie was being sent to London for Aragon’s wedding. The carriage was destroyed during a storm and the Absol had sheltered the young eleven year old. Since then, they’ve been a team.

Many people were scared of Flower, since Absols were said to being bad omens. Some say she’s why Aragon could never deliver a live male heir.

Aragon let Bessie keep Flower around because she was so weak for her young lady in waiting and Flower wasn’t hurting anyone, despite the suspicions.

However, when Bessie was exiled, Flower and Bessie were separated and never saw each other again, even after Bessie returned to court. Flower had been culled.

Their reunion was even more tearful than Katherine and Duchess’

King was one of Henry’s Pokémon, but Bessie still took him anyway. Because she believed he was good, despite his trainer.

He has some anger problems, but is truly a good Pokémon and is fiercely protective of Bessie.

He will literally inspect any new Pokémon that get added to the team.

Ombré and Ophelia were a buy one get one free deal. They came together as a Venipede and Stunky. Someone at a train station was literally fucking selling them from cages and Bessie felt so bad for them, so she immediately took them in.

Caliburn hatched from an egg that Bessie was given. Bessie didn’t think she had the ability to take care of a baby Pokémon, but she absolutely fell in love with Caliburn the moment she hatched in her arms.

During shows, Bessie would have to leave the egg unattended and that made her so anxious that the baby might hatch without her there.

And since baby Pokémon get attached to whoever they see first, this little Axew thought Bessie was her mama 🥺🥺

Bessie cried

Maria

Nicknames and genders: [not listed- Raboot] Blister (female); [not listed- Rillaboom] Jambu (male); Hamlet (male); Vertigo (male); Borderline (female); Bentley (male)

Both Blister and Jambu are Maria’s partners. She got them both when her parents surprised her with them when she was a little girl and they were just a Scorbunny and Grookey.

She caught Hamlet shortly after reincarnation because he was just so funky!!

She got Bentley through trading and thought he was just So Cool

Borderline is a little distant, but Maria is trying to bond with her more often

Maggie

Nicknames and genders: Azura (female); [Not listed- Amped Toxtricity] Alto (female); Fidget (female); Bo (female); Fathom (male); Mangrove (male)

Technically, Alto is Maggie’s partner. They’ve been together ever since she was just a Toxel.

Then Maggie met Azura and the three of them were a team.

But after Alto evolved into an amped Toxtricity, she and Maggie grew distant, since Maggie had been expecting a low key Toxtricity. And Alto attitude was very hard to get along with.

Speaking of attitude, Alto sometimes straight up refuses to obey Maggie. Like, Maggie tells her to use Thunderbolt, Alto will use Venshock. Or she’ll come out of her PokéBall without being sent out or called.

Because of this, Maggie is trying to keep her inside her PokéBall as much as possible.

After Anne’s death, Bo came along. And Maggie, who was still mourning, thought this ghost type was the spirit of Anne, hence her name.

Joan

Nicknames and genders: [Not listed- Sobble] Indigo (male); Hyde (female); Tenor (male); Grandeur (male); Fatigue (female); Glorybringer/Glory (female)

None of these six were Joan’s original partner, who didn’t seem to come back after reincarnation.

However, in her second life, Indigo is Joan’s partner. She found him out in the cold behind the theater.

When she first came across Tenor she KNEW she needed him.

She caught Hyde while away on a trip because it was cold outside and Hyde just looked like she was freezing. So she snuck her into her hotel room and fed her and when she woke up the next morning, Hyde was curled up with her on the bed. She knew she had to have her on her team.

Except Hyde causes some problems because the two heads fight a lot. And when they fight, it’s vey loud. So Joan gets even less sleep.

So she caught Fatigue! And everyone warned her about Drowzees and Hypnos, but Joan ignored it. She loves her Drowzee!

Fatigue does her best to help her trainer sleep.

Then we got little Grandeur! He was brought back to life from a fossil.

He’s just a babey 🥺🥺

And, finally, Glorybringer! Glory for short

Joan first saw Glory being mistreated by her trainer during a performance (he was mainly pulling on her ears) and confronted him about it after the show.

Glory was so moved by her helping that she ran all the way back to the theater a few days later to find Joan after escaping her trainer.

Joan immediately took her in

Joan never makes Glory battle unless she wants to. Usually, she’ll just hold her and they’ll watch.

(Glory loves being held)

[zedecksiew]

Mini-PSB

Our cat, Mini-PSB -- velvet-black, quite little, with a twitching stub tail that Sharon called a cooked-prawn tail, because of the way it curled -- has been missing for five days.

We do not think she will be coming home.

+

When we talked about her with friend we tended to call her "our mew".

We'd given her a complicated name that was complicated to explain. Briefly:

"Mini-PSB", because her father was probably a stray we called Penyu's Sister's Boyfriend -- very compact, very black, very shy; if he even suspected we were watching, he'd freeze in the middle of our driveway, turn around, and trot away;

"Penyu's Sister's Boyfriend", because he used to come around with Penyu's Sister, another stray -- white, with a smudged face;

"Penyu's Sister", because Penyu was a cat we had -- white with a dusty face and one dirty paw -- she was the sweetest cat we had.

+

Mini-PSB was complicated. We have never truly tamed cats. She was proof of that.

When we took her to the vet she bolted out of her carrier and tried to jump down the clinic restroom's toilet bowl, to escape.

She had only four humans she could stand, in all the world:

Sharon and myself; Selvam, our gardener, who'd feed and keep her company when we were in the city; and Sze, who house-sat for us, for a few months, and took the time to befriend a wild animal.

She never stopped being wary of us. She chose nests that were always hidden away, or out of reach. Most times I tried to sit next to her, she'd jump off her cushion, and duck under a chair.

She'd roam the house, checking every room, just so she could keep track of us at all times.

+

Mini-PSB was kind to us.

When Sharon got home from her terrible haunting in Vietnam, Mini-PSB sat at our front door, keeping watch.

When I started obsessing over my bad writing, midnights, she'd want to jump into my lap, for a good purr. This didn't help my work, but always made me feel better.

She'd leave us gifts: on the living room floor; under my desk; in the shower -- geckos she'd caught and killed. She would leave just the heads.

"Murderer!" I'd call her.

+

Mini-PSB lived with us for over three years. Our longest.

She kept to the house, mostly; the most she'd been away, previously, was two nights. She never went exploring.

Did stray dogs get her? There are packs roaming the school behind our house, at night.

Did a python get her? They eat small mammals.

I've asked our neighbours. I've searched the school grounds. Why would she go to these places, anyway? She was so afraid of people.

"Maybe it is best this way," Sharon said -- and she is right. the worst scenario would've been if she had fallen ill; going to the vet again would've been the thing that killed her.

+

This way is better. She was a wild animal, who came to live with us, a while. She returns to wildness.

+

Mini-PSB leaves behind some things. Sharon's made a lot of art about her.

There's "Bontot Jambu / Pink Butt", a series of animated GIFs about our cats, featuring her pink ass and cooked-prawn tail; There's the linocut print you can see here, "The Way Home / Jalan Pulang", made after Vietnam; She's a detail in the linocut that bookends our book. See that cat, surrounded by the ghosts of other cats? That's her!

+

Still have her as a wallpaper for my phone screen. As my profile pic on Twitter. Not sure when I'll swap those out.

I remember her on her back, on our front step, relaxed. I remember her paw, dangling off the edge of her favourite cushion. She is all over the house.

Once, twice, I thought I heard her squeak. It was only some metal, scratching on metal.

I feel her in my lap. A weight. kneading. Another ghost cat, now.

[nivrad00]

Tales from Post-War Pyrrhia

A master list of all of my Wings of Fire fanfiction, along with each work’s primary characters. Enjoy! 

You can also find most of my fanfiction on fanfiction.net. 

For my original writing, check out my website.

Longer Works

A New Leaf (Liana, Eclipse, Glory, Jambu, Kinkajou) 

The Rainforest Court

The Saboteur

The Pavilion of Stars

The Case for Love

The Dragonfly Festival

The Pyrrhian Peace Summit (Copper Winglet, Glory, Hope, Sunny) 

There’s a revised and improved version of this story on fanfiction.net!

A Vital Message

The Bean Bag Conference

Maker of Peace

The Welcoming Committee

A Fortu-Newt Encounter

Marsh’s Epiphany

Eavesdropping at Sundown

The Starless Night

A Ray of Hope

Sunny Tries to Change History

School’s Out

The Ghost of JMA (Clay, Starflight, Fatespeaker)

SeaWing Princess Bonding Time (Tsunami, Anemone, Auklet)

The Great Drop-Off (Peril, Turtle)

Home Sweet Bog (Newt, Sepia)

How to Introduce Your Boyfriend to Your Bigwings (Marsh, Coconut, Reed, Pheasant)

Mother Knows Best (Sunny, Thorn)

The IceWing Isolation Policy (Alba, Changbai, Ermine, Snowfall)

The Missing Scavenger (Winter, Qibli)

Lost in the Rainforest (Mindreader, Fearless, Siamang)

Secretkeeper (Moon, Secretkeeper)

Hide-and-Seek (Kinkajou, Tamarin, Peacemaker)

Marsh and Coconut Go Home (Marsh, Coconut)

Goodbye

Riddles

The Jinni

Marsh Says Fuck

The Stop Sign

The Cursed Map

The Ice Dream Truck

Pastability

The Orb

Familiar Faces

Riddles Return

Eat Me

The Eminent Whale

The Frog Prince

The RainWing Village

The Marsh

The Statue

The Question Collector

The Mire

Caiman

The Tollkeeper

The Ice Cave

I Spy

The Void

Marsh and Coconut Go Home

Ficlets

Jade Winglet

The Dragonets of Destiny Discover Qibli's Secret Stash (Qibli, Turtle) 

Turtle's Day Off (Kinkajou, Turtle)

Rain (Qibli, Moon)  

Original

List poem version

What Do You Mean There’s No Washrooms? (Winter, Tsunami)

Ice Skating (Winter, Qibli, Kinkajou, Turtle)

New Arrivals at Sanctuary (Winter)

The Siren (Kinkajou, Turtle)

Turtle’s Writing Challenge (Turtle, Kinkajou)

The Jade Winglet Learns Math (Armadillo, Jade Winglet)

Kore’s Nightjar (Moon, Andromeda (OC))

The Talons of Power Invade Jade Mountain Academy (Qibli, Sirocco, Rattlesnake)

Dragons Haven’t Invented the Concept of Intellectual Property Rights Yet (Turtle, Kinkajou, Anemone)

Kinkajou’s Mysterious Illness (Kinkajou, Turtle)

Jade Mountain Academy

Supervillain (Flame) 

Snorer (Marsh, Coconut)

Art Block (Arid, Mightyclaws)

Inspiration (Arid, Mightyclaws) 

Illiterate (Marsh, Boto, Coconut) 

Sun Time (Marsh, Coconut)

Omelets (Marsh, Coconut)

Story Time (Anemone, Tamarin)

Doctor (Pronghorn, Peregrine)

Coconut’s Quest (Marsh, Coconut)

Round-Pyrrhia Conspiracy Theories (Thrush, Boto)

Flood (Thrush, Boto)

More Flood Shenanigans (Snail, Turtle)

The JMA Student Art Festival (Marsh, Coconut, Boto, Siamang)

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Astronomy Club (Thrush, Pronghorn, Moon) 

Ice-Worms (Mindreader, Peregrine)

Starflight’s Conundrum (Starflight, Sunny, Fatespeaker)

Other

Delta (Quagmire (OC))

Part 1

Part 2

Beetle and the Volcanic Island (Beetle (OC))

Avalanche’s Return (Flame, Avalanche)

Part 1

Part 2

Fruit Vendor (Shimmer (OC))

Stonemover (Thorn, Stonemover)

Beetle and the Dragon Cave (Beetle (OC))

A Morning with the Talons of Peace (Flame, Viper)

The Chicken Coop (Cattail, Fen (OC))

Fig Tarts (Flame, Viper)

Portrait (Mightyclaws, Ruby)

Tree Gliding (Glory, Jambu)

Futureseer (Futureseer)

Fruit Bat’s Triumph (Liana, Jambu, Fruit Bat)

Waiting for the Mail (Pronghorn, Taiga (OC))

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Bright-eyes (Starflight, Fatespeaker, Glory) 

A Desert Miracle (Shimmer (OC), Mayfly)

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Character Tags

Alba

Andromeda (OC)

Anemone

Arid

Armadillo

Auklet

Avalanche

Banana

Beetle (OC)

Bluegill (OC)

Boto

Bubbles (OC)

Caribou (OC)

Carnelian

Cattail

Changbai

Cirrus

Clay

Coconut

Queen Coral

Deathbringer

Eclipse

Ermine

Fatespeaker

Fearless

Fen (OC)

Flame

Queen Fruit Bat

Futureseer (OC)

Queen Glory

Goby (OC)

Golden (OC)

Heliconia

Hoarfrost (OC)

Hope/Foeslayer

Jambu

Kinkajou

Liana

Marsh

Mightyclaws

Mindreader

Moon

Queen Moorhen

Namib (OC)

Nautilus

Newt (MudWing)

Newt (RainWing) (OC)

Nightflier (OC)

Ochre

Ostrich

Peacemaker/Darkstalker

Peril

Pheasant

Pronghorn

Qibli

Quagmire (OC)

Reed

Queen Ruby

Sandpiper (OC)

Seigla (OC)

Sepia

Shark

Shimmer (OC)

Siamang

Snail

Queen Snowfall

Starflight

Stonemover

Sunny

Taiga (OC)

Tamarin

Queen Thorn

Thrush

Trueflier (OC)

Tsunami

Turtle

Umbra (OC)

Viper

Webs

Winter

Wren (OC)

[its-lifestyle]

In her beautiful home in Kuala Lumpur, 73-year-old Rosita Abdullah Lau is bustling about her kitchen with the energy and vigour of a woman half her age.

“Come, try some of this,” she beckons as she ladles some chap chai into a little bowl.

“It’s delicious,” I say after a few mouthfuls and Rosita’s face breaks into a warm, gentle smile.

“You know, no two home cooks are the same. Every family does it differently, this is just my family’s way that I learnt when I was growing up,” she says.

And indeed, Rosita’s formative years left such an indelible impression on her that she published a book on her Peranakan Chinese community – the incredibly detailed Waterfront Heirlooms: Reflections Of The Kampong China Peranakan.

The book is published under My Viscom Editions (registered under Rosita and her son) and was inspired by a chapter in her award-winning 2009 publication Kulit Manis: A Taste Of Terengganu’s Heritage, which nabbed the World’s Best Local Cuisine Book 2010 at the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards in Paris.

“It has been half a century since I left Kampong China and I thought it was time for me to do something before it is all lost,” says Rosita who left her home at 19 to marry into the Terengganu royal family.

Rosita left Kampong China when she was 19 but has nostalgic memories of her carefree years of growing up there. Her book is the result of eight years worth of careful research and interviews with residents in the area.

It took Rosita eight long years to get the project off the ground mostly because she had to generate the funding to put together a well-researched tome detailing the intricacies of the community.

In the end, she spent over RM500,000 on the book (even selling off land that her father gave her), most of it channelled towards hiring the right writers, photographers and collaborators for the project. Rosita and her team also spent years cataloguing charming anecdotes and stories from residents of the area as well as unearthing black-and-white images that tell a compelling story of the waterfront way of life.

“This book has my whole soul in it,” she says simply.

Who are the Kampong China Peranakan?

Rosita’s book posits the belief that the Chinese settled in Terengganu in the early part of the 15th century, around the time the great Chinese maritime explorer Admiral Cheng Ho made his landing in Melaka in 1409.

Rosita’s book documents the culture, way of life and recipes of the little-known Peranakan Chinese community in Kampong China, Terengganu.

If this is indeed true, this would make the Peranakan Chinese in Terengganu one of the oldest Peranakan communities in Malaysia.

According to Rosita’s book, Cheng Ho was purported to have made a pit stop at Sungei Nerus, a tributary of Sungai Terengganu at Kampong Jeram. When he continued his journey, as many as 20,000 of his officers stayed behind. To this day, many Terengganu Chinese still believe themselves to be descendants of Cheng Ho’s crew.

Currently, the oldest clan in Kampong China can still trace its origins back to 1770.

The pioneer settlers of Kampong China, also known as Teng Lang Poh (which means Chinese village) set up home on the southern bank of the estuary of Sungai Terengganu. Most were Hokkiens from China’s Fujian province, which explains why the Peranakan Chinese in Terengganu still speak Hokkien.

It is believed that many of the Kampong China Peranakan’s ancestors were Chinese immigrants who assimilated by marrying local Malay, Thai and Indochinese women.

Interestingly, the community does not really see themselves as Peranakan, instead referring to themselves as cheng mua lang or “sarong-clad people”.

A picture of the old houses on the river as they were when Rosita was growing up.

Rosita grew up in Kampong China, which is essentially a tiny 800m-long village with two facing rows of houses, some with liam boey (timber decks) on stilts stretched out over the river, hence yielding stunning waterfront views (like the one Rosita lived in) and others that had hillside views. The area also included all kinds of shops.

“We used to have 200 houses – residents and shops, like bicycle, hardware and sundry shops – anything you wanted you could get on the street.

“The houses were all extended on the river, and in one house, there were often two or three families staying there. Like in my house – my family and my uncle’s family stayed together, separated by just a connecting door,” she says.

Because the river formed such a strong part of the Kampong China Peranakan’s daily life, Rosita has fond memories of carefree days spent swimming, fishing, harvesting oysters and crabbing as a child.

Fishermen even used to come by on their boats to see if residents wanted fresh fish as each house had a ladder going down to the river for just these sorts of purchases!

Perhaps the most interesting thing about the community is their cuisine. In her 288-page book, Rosita devotes over 50 pages to cataloguing and documenting the recipes of her community.

While some of the recipes have been provided by Rosita herself, others have been generously shared by residents of Kampong China who have willingly parted with fiercely guarded family recipes that have hitherto remained unknown to the general public.

The food of the community

The Kampong China Peranakans have retained many of their Chinese ethnic culinary customs but over time, have also adopted ingredients from their Malaysian homeland. The community typically eats staple meals like fish and rice, and surprisingly eat with their hands, having imbibed the local Malay culture of doing so.

Ah mak hu gulai is a fiery fish curry based on Rosita’s mother’s recipe. Most Peranakan Chinese recipes from Kampong China were tightly guarded family secrets.

In the past, the kitchen was the heart of the home and the place where matriarchs in the community wielded the most authority. Before the availability of gas stoves, cooking was typically done over wood fire or charcoal.

“Firewood was cut mainly from the rubber trees, pokok jambu arang (guava tree) and paperbark tree. Dried coconut shells were also commonly used as fuel, particularly in cooking kuay (kuih),” says Rosita in the book.

Peranakan home cooks swore by tried-and-tested labour-intensive methods that involved using chiok boh (stone hand mill to make rice flour and glutinous rice flour), batu lesong (pestle and mortar) and lesong kayu (wooden mortar and pestle).

Because food played such a prominent role in the community’s lives back then, many of their expressions are related to the act of eating and savouring food – “lemek lonyek” means too soft, “gasa” means to taste while “manis leteng” translates to extremely sweet.

Common ingredients in the cuisine include pandan leaves, coconut milk, grated coconut paste, slaked lime (kapur) and belacan, which were all adapted to suit the Chinese palate.

One of the essential elements in the daily meals is kay (budu) and kay chiap (budu sauce sweetened with palm sugar).

Fish was also very common in the local diet because of the proximity to the river – many locals simply caught fish themselves from the comfort of their homes.

Examples of fish that were once prominent in their daily diet included golden snapper (kakap merah), black sea bream, Indian mackerel, Spanish mackerel and tuna.

“As children, we were always swimming in the river, so we were always so hungry, so often we would just have fried fish with kicap manis,” recalls Rosita.

Chap chai lemak was once served as a vegetarian dish during weddings in Kampong China.

The Peranakan Chinese also have many auspicious occasions which call for different meals to be served. Like the Hungry Ghost Festival, where dishes are presented in multiples of four. Many of these dishes can even be split into two meals (phak siang in Hokkien).

An example of meals where this separation can take place is keh koh and keh kutub which are essentially dishes with meat and eggs, which can be divided into smaller meals – so one bowl consists of just eggs and the other just meat.

Rosita’s keh koh is delicious – cooked in a thick, caramel-like sweet sauce till the meat is tender and can be pulled apart easily from the bones.

“Children love this because it’s sweet. My own children like it too,” says Rosita.

Keh char yiam or salt-fried chicken is another delicious meal from the community that consists of chicken fried until it has an almost – but not quite – floss-like quality. The meat is brittle and slightly crispy and the garlic in the mixture adds lovely aromatic notes to the entire concoction.

“So this one is just salted chicken that is shredded and you just use oil and garlic for flavour and fry it until it’s crisp. And I don’t take away the bones, because they are so nice to nibble on,” she says.

Ah mak hu gulai is based on Rosita’s mother’s heirloom recipe and pays tribute to local influences, as it veers more towards a fiery Malay-style gulai, although the kay chiap dipping sauce served on the side alludes to the community’s trademark sauce.

Chap chai lemak or mixed vegetables cooked in coconut milk is a light, flavourful affair filled with an assortment of vegetables like Chinese mushrooms, black fungus, lily buds and sweet potatoes.

This dish has an interesting history as typically on the eve of a Peranakan wedding in Kampong China, offerings will be made to the God of Heavens, including the dried ingredients included in this dish. The next day, to avoid wastage, the dried ingredients are cooked alongside sweet potatoes to serve as a vegetarian dish to wedding guests.

Nearly forgotten legacy

Without Rosita’s book, the culinary legacy and identity of the Peranakans in Kampong China would likely have been forgotten, as sadly their numbers are fast dwindling with the average age of the remaining residents standing at 60.

Many members of the community have left the settlement and not returned. As a result, Rosita’s interviews with current and previous folks of the area are probably the only accurate accounts of the community left.

Rosita says that while the riverine way of life that she grew up with in Kg Cina is long gone, she hopes the food will survive the travails of time.

In 2005, the Terengganu state government gazetted the area as a heritage site, but so much has been lost already.

“There has been land reclamation, so all the residents have lost their waterfronts – one of my aunts cried because her kitchen had to be cut up! And now the water is murky and the factories upstream wash everything down. Last time the water was crystal clear, you could see the fish in the river.

When we ate crabs, we would throw the shells into the river and you could see all the fish swimming up, you could even catch them if you wanted,” says Rosita.

Another good thing that has risen from the book is a documentary titled The Last 800 Metres with filmmaker Jennifer Phillips (who has Peranakan lineage) at the helm.

The 90-minute documentary is scheduled to be completed by November next year and will provide insight into the culture, identity and lives of the elderly residents of Kampong China.

Rosita acknowledges that the halcyon days of her childhood are long gone and the riverine way of life doesn’t really exist, except in her memories.

But some elements of the community can continue to live on if people of her generation choose to share their wisdom with the younger generation.

“Life is changing, I feel very sad – I keep wanting to cry because I miss my parents and that connection to the community. But we are the link to the next generation and since we cannot keep everything else the way it was, the food at least will maintain and capture our culture and with that, there is hope,” she says.

Waterfront Heirlooms: Reflections Of The Kampong China Peranakan is available at Kinokuniya KLCC at RM250.

KEH HONG (PERANAKAN SWEET SAUCE CHICKEN WITH DUCK EGGS)

2kg chicken, quartered 1/4 cup cooking oil 1 1/2 bulbs garlic, chopped 100-150g palm sugar, shaved 5 tbsp preserved soy bean paste 6 hard boiled duck eggs, shelled 3 tbsp kaychiap (Peranakan sweet sauce) 500ml chicken stock

In a pot, bring enough water to boil to cover the chicken. Place chicken in the boiling water and add some salt. Boil chicken until just cooked. Remove chicken and set aside to cool. Strain the stock. Debone chicken and tear meat into big chunks. Heat the oil in a wok and saute garlic until fragrant and just starting to brown. Add the palm sugar, stirring continuously until it caremelises. Lower heat and stir until bubbles appear, making sure garlic does not burn. Add soy bean paste, stirring for about 1 minute before adding chicken, eggs and kaychiap. Continue stirring until chicken is well mixed with the gravy. Add chicken stock. Bring to a slow boil and simmer for about 30 minutes or until a little gravy is left.

KEH CHAR YIAM (SALT FRIED CHICKEN)

11/2 kg chicken, quartered salt to taste 1 cup cooking oil 1 bulb garlic, chopped or whole salt and sugar to taste

Rub chicken with salt. Put the chicken in a pot of boiling water sufficient to cover the chicken. Cook until tender. Remove chicken, set aside to cool. Debone the chicken and shred the meat to medium to big size pieces. Heat cooking oil in a wok and saute garlic till fragrant. Add in chicken meat and salt to taste. Add more oil if chicken sticks to the wok. Continue to fry over low to medium heat until the meat is golden in colour and crispy on the outside. Serve with rice or on its own as a snack.

from Food – Star2.com https://ift.tt/2nWWLzr