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ladyhallen · 4 years ago

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The Making of a Sanctuary

Read on AO3

(no link to FFN, because it’s freaking misbehaving. It’s on time out at the moment.)

The first child of the Sanctuary was a boy.

He was a street urchin but Harry, passing by him on the street, felt the magic and paused. With a distracted air, Harry rummaged through his bags and produced a piece of bread.

Harry handed the child the bread and left.

But the child remembered.

The next day, when Harry realized that he needed more cheese, he passed by the same child and gave him another piece of bread.

The child devoured the bread, latched on to Harry’s cloak, and then doesn’t let go.

Harry looked at the boy with complete and utter bewilderment and just sighed. He found it a bit difficult to say no to children. It was a really bad weakness that was exploited with the puppy eyes mercilessly.

They’re like locusts and multiply.

The first child grabbed another one, and another one, and before Harry knew it, there’s an entire group of children living with him.

“We can’t keep living off of bread and cheese,” Harry said with some shock, because he hadn’t realized how many children there were with him. “And oh Merlin, what are you all wearing?”

The first one gave him a look, being bolder and less afraid of him. “It’s better than sleeping cold.”

Because of course, everyone was sleeping by the fireplace. Why hadn’t he noticed? He knew he could get preoccupied inside his head, being in the past made it especially worse, but this was ridiculous. By his count, there were fifteen children around him, eagerly pressing into each other for warmth.

“Why didn’t anyone tell me?” he groaned. “I know I can get distracted, but this is ridiculous.”

With a wave of his wand, he conjured them all some blankets. It would disappear in two hours but it was better than the rags everyone was wearing.

“Now, let’s fix this. Rooms, right,” he muttered. But I also need some wood.” He glanced out and smiled. “How convenient, there’s a forest right there.”

Harry worked with a lot of children scurrying around underfoot.

Magic may have made things easier, but it didn’t fix everything. He still had to chop up the wood with precise slicing spells, peel off the bark and then speed up the drying process. Afterwards, measuring and then covering everything in varnish.

All the while, the idea of dorm rooms entered his mind and he knew how he wanted things to look like. Because he might not have planned for children, but these children only had him.

Next, he enlarged the space as he worked.

It took immense focus but he knew that it could happen. Newt Scamander could fit an entire world inside his suitcase, Harry could fit entire dormitories behind his pantry.

“What are we going to do for beds?” Simon, the first child, asked him.

Harry pursed his lips in thought. “I can make beds, we have enough wood to make furniture for all those rooms. It will require cotton and cloth though.”

That was a thought. Harry needed cotton and cloth and they also needed more food than just bread and cheese. Harry…might have to buy some animals.

“What do we need?” Harry murmured, sitting on the floor and surrounded by a circle of children as they divided a loaf of bread and a wheel of cheese. There was also a bowl of vegetable soup, one of the few things he could make without burning down the kitchen. It was a testament to how tired everyone was with the bread and cheese that the soup had absolutely no leftovers.

“Clothes,” Lina said, looking at her ratty old shirt. “A place to wash.”

“Food,” Simon piped in.

Harry could go to gardens and get some seedlings, no need to buy things. Some places even had wild vegetables and a good Point Me charm would solve that. He also needed clothes, bed sheets, mattresses and winter clothes - it was getting colder.

The animals though. He could buy them in the muggle world so it would be cheaper, but it would take some money, which he did not have.

“We need to brew,” he sighed. “Who knows how to chop?”

Harry took one week teaching the children different potion techniques.

Slicing, dicing, chopping and their differences were taught. He never realized children had such attention spans. They practiced on vegetables and Harry’s soup making skills were getting better and better.

“Okay, that’s sufficient. Now, we need potion ingredients and a good store to sell our potions afterwards,” he said.

The only store that would accept such shady practices (because you needed a license to brew, which Harry absolutely does not have) would be one in Knockturn Alley.

This time, he placed his foot down. “You’re all staying in the house. Where I’m going is not good for children.”

As one, they all rolled their eyes at him but did not argue.

It took more than a hundred potions before their funds could be sufficient and Harry gained a permanent wrinkle in his forehead from the stress. Being in charge of the health and well-being of more than a dozen little individuals was very stressful, especially if you were an unlicensed time-traveler.

Harry bought two pairs, a male and a female, for each animal. There were pigs, cows and chickens for their produce, which would help immensely for the food problem. He also bought sheep for their wool.

“Flax seeds,” he remarked, looking at his list. “I think I found the solution to the cloth problem.”

Flax seeds were unmagical and could be fast grown and fast harvested. Then, he figured out how to enchant a loom to weave it into bolts of cloth.

“It’s so pretty,” Katy said with awe. “But. Harry, isn’t it a bit boring, to be plain white?”

Harry looked at them all and was encountered with a dozen puppy eyes.

“…Dye’s. A lot of them,” he muttered reluctantly.

He pretended not to see the children exchanging a high-five behind him.

It would be so much easier, Harry realized halfway into transforming his house into a secret place for orphaned and neglected children, if he had someone to work with.

But given that what he was doing was breaking about a hundred laws, he really didn’t want to implicate someone with him.

His kitchen was already a teeming mess of food and soup was always bubbling in the stove, somehow never boiling over and also never running out, no matter how many children ladled out bowls.

His pantry was always expanding, meat and eggs somehow multiplying without his knowledge. And milk was never running out.

His vegetable garden never seemed to run out of produce either, carrots, beans and potatoes always popping out of the ground whenever he needed some.

His cloth room, formerly just housing one lonely loom and one lonely dye area, was having three stations and continually making more bolts of cloth than he knew what to deal with.

Even the Potion’s area was expanding, somehow having fifteen working stations and ten rows of potions cupboards organized alphabetically.

Something was always going on and he was permanently frowning with worry.

Children weren’t supposed to learn how to brew advanced high grade potions at the age of eight, nor were they supposed to know how to cook, clean, do laundry or tend to plants.

But the children he had gotten were all mature beyond their years, scars marking them from the very people who were supposed to love them unconditionally. And they all loved Harry and knew he was doing his best to give them a home.

Harry eventually realized by the time he had fifty children that he needed to set an age limit.

Because if he didn’t, none of the children would ever really leave and then he would be stuck with a hundred of them. He loved them and he knew that the Sanctuary was supposed to be a place to have a childhood.

So he started setting up apprenticeships.

Simon, a budding arithmancer, got an apprenticeship to a wardmaster. Lina with her sewing skills was apprenticed to Madame Malkin. Jessica, the sweet child, was apprenticed to a librarian until she realized what she wanted.

All of the children needed help and he set out and found them work and different houses. And all of them realized this and quietly packed their bags and left.

Harry still kept in contact with them via owls and the occasional visit. And he missed them even if there were always new children coming to him. But he never mourned. Because it was at this time that he started noticing something.

The Sanctuary was starting to gain sentience.

It made some sense, given that once an object was in magical presence long enough and loved enough, they tended to gain a personality.

The Sanctuary had housed a lot of children and all of them loved it in their own way. And all of those children had been magical.

By the time he realized what was harvesting the garden, cleaning the house, unclogging the toilets and keeping the kitchen stocked, he had gone through three generations and there was an unofficial network of people that apprenticed his children without his prompting. People he remembered, children he remembered, all of them growing old, but…he remained the same.

“Circe’s wand, what have I created?” he murmured.

A singularity. He had created a singularity because the children needed him.

Hogwarts, while just as loved, was not a singularity but a nexus. It didn’t exist beyond time like the Sanctuary, but it had a draw to it that made it attractive to everyone. His Sanctuary, on the other hand, existed only to those who needed it.

Harry knew that if he spent decades away from the Sanctuary, he would start to age. The children were immune, the Sanctuary didn’t own them in the way it owned Harry. His blood and his magic went into the house. The children were only guests.

He had accidentally bound himself to a singularity and he had absolutely no idea what to do about it.

Harry started to have no concept of time.

Oh, he knew the days were passing, and he knew what month it was. But the years passing by he viewed them as just any other day.

He didn’t really need to keep track of holidays, the house decorated itself and nudged him to remember. He only really remembered about the start of term, because all those children needed him for book shopping. Two months before the start of term, he would start a frenzy of brewing just to be able to afford everything.

Thank Merlin that Wizarding Currency hasn’t changed since the Goblin Wars.

All the children that passed, he remembered. The memories might be blurry, but he knew all of them. He kept memory strands for each child, in case his memory ever faltered.

And then Tom Riddle requested Sanctuary and Harry became acutely aware of the passing of time.

Cute, teenage dark lords with wounded, angry eyes and a desperate need for praise.

Cute, teenage dark lords, who looked at the Sanctuary and seemed not to understand the age limit.

Cute, teenage dark lords, who wanted to stay forever.

Harry would bang his head on the wall if the House would allow it.

When he’d accidentally travelled back in time, he had a plan.

Buy a house, keep quiet and don’t make any trouble.

Looking up at the deceptively small house, he knew that plan was thrown out the window since the first child looked up at him and tugged at his cloak.

“Harry!” called a young, high voice. “Harry, I already rang the dinner bell, didn’t you hear?”

“I’m coming!” he yelled back, pausing briefly to pluck an apple tree that he’s sure he did not plant there.

The Sanctuary was sentient and it had absolutely no qualms in growing how it wanted, asking no input from Harry.

This was not in his plans, but he had no complaints.

#fanfiction #harry potter #tom riddle #sequel to the Sanctuary and the Bar #time travel #my writing #hp #hp post

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violetwolfraven · 5 years ago

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Legacy Heroes

After Nora and Joe showing up, Barry hadn’t really thought anything stranger could happen.

Long story short... he was wrong.

“Let me out,” the girl said sweetly, not seeming at all bothered by the fact that she was behind the glass of a meta containment cell.

The girl in question had been dubbed ‘Treble,’ despite her insistence that she already had a codename, but couldn’t tell it because she was from the future and it could jeopardize her past.

Treble had brown hair, dyed with streaks of purple, tan skin, and green eyes. She was maybe Nora and Joe’s age, and her nonchalance reminded Barry of someone. He just couldn’t remember who.

“She’s radiating tachyons,” Cisco mumbled to him, “Definitely a time traveler; must have followed your kids here.”

“Duh,” Treble said with a roll of her eyes, “Of course I did.”

Barry and Cisco both tried to hide their shock at the fact that she had even heard them. Then she pointed to her ears.

“Sensitive to sounds? That’s literally my whole thing.”

Cisco snorted, “Yeah, and leveling buildings with those sound frequencies.”

That was an exaggeration. The girl had whistled at a hotdog cart and sent it flying against a building, but she hadn’t caused lasting damage to anything except the hotdog cart.

She rolled her eyes, “That was just to get your attention. Truthfully, I was hoping for the Twin Tornado Terrors, but—“

“You mean the Tornado Twins,” Barry clarified, “My kids, who you conveniently borrowed the time sphere to follow here, but definitely aren’t an enemy to?”

Treble huffed in frustration, “You think I’m an enemy? You’re the one who sent me here! Well, technically it was your wife, but she sent me to bring those two home so they don’t mess up the past anymore than they already have!”

“You keep talking about the twins,” Cisco noted, “But you don’t actually say their names.”

“Fine,” Treble said, “Joe and Nora West-Allen. You’re Cisco Ramon and the Flash is Barry Allen, married to Iris West-Allen. Are you going to let me out, now?”

“You could have gotten that information as an enemy,” Barry said untrustingly, “I’m going to need more information than that. How’d you meet them?”

She sighed, “Fine, if it’s so important to you. Not too long from now, Team Flash and Team Arrow kind of merge into one with a bunch of other heroes to form the... the Super Friends. Fast forward a few decades, everybody’s got kids and all those kids grew up together. We’re basically cousins. Of course, some heroes never joined up or split over time, so some dating between the younger generation does happen, but...” Treble’s face reddened, “I’m getting off topic here. The point is, we call ourselves Legacies. Ask Joe or Nora and they’ll confirm it.”

Now that Barry was paying attention, the story made sense. Treble had a nervous tick belonging to Ray and a faraway look in her eye that reminded Barry of Caitlyn when she was concentrating. Her mostly calm mask was Sara’s and her relaxed-but-powerful stance was a mix of Rene’s and Kara’s. The more he looked, the more he saw his friends’ body language. Now that he thought about it, it was a thing Nora and Joe shared with her; as if they’d been raised together by a large group of heroes who’d have to pass the young kids off frequently leaving one person babysitting so the others could go on missions...

Joe and Nora were on a trip with Iris to meet Wally. Barry was hearing a vague hunch, and that wasn’t enough reason to call them back.

He shrugged, “Look, just tell us who your parents are and maybe we’ll believe your story.”

“I can’t do that.”

“Why not?”

“Because my parents aren’t together yet at this point in the timeline, and I kind of like existing.”

Cisco held up a glass from when they’d given her water earlier, “Well, we’ll know who you are soon enough.”

Treble’s face darkened, “You don’t want to do that.”

“Why not?”

“Because my parents have a very specific arc of enemies-to-friends-to-lovers and they’re only in the friends stage right now!”

“Don’t worry, kid,” Cisco said, “Finding out about you will probably just bring them closer together.”

Barry and Cisco were about to walk away when the brunette responded.

“Well, let me narrow down the search a little.”

The containment cell was set up to combat the frequencies they’d heard from Treble before.

It was not set up to contain a full sonic scream.

That definitely narrowed the search on Treble’s parents. It narrowed it to two known metas.

“I warned you,” Treble said simply as she took the glass from Cisco, “I’ll just go find those two speedy idiots now if you don’t mind.”

With one sharp note, she shattered the glass and ground the pieces into the floor with her shoe.

...

“So, Siren or Canary?” Cisco asked as they ran the DNA test, “My bet is on Laurel with that attitude, but she does kind of have Dinah’s coloring.”

Caitlyn shrugged, “Well, could be either depending on who they end up with. It’s a toss of the dice; this girl looks neutral enough that she could be either of theirs, or neither.”

Treble had cut herself when she broke the glass. She’d probably thought the blood sample was too small and too ground into the floor, but Barry had scraped some off for Caitlyn to run a paternity test on.

The test beeped and Caitlyn looked confused at the results.

“Wait, no. That can’t be right.”

“What can’t be right?” Barry asked.

“The test didn’t just come back with a match from the database of known metas and heroes,” Caitlyn said, strangely serious, “It came back with two.”

“Well, which was it, and who do they end up with?” Cisco asked impatiently.

Caitlyn shook her head, “No. You don’t understand. This girl isn’t just a match for Laurel Lance or Dinah Drake. Genetically... she’s a match for both of them.”

...

Dinah didn’t believe it, and she was staring at a computer screen that clearly linked her DNA and Laurel’s to the meta from the future Barry had captured.

Barry had gone to get a Laurel from Earth 2. Dinah wasn’t sure she wanted to face her.

“How is this possible?” She asked finally, “Two women can’t have a child.”

“Barry called Kara,” Caitlyn said, “It’s not possible for humans yet. But her people have a kind of tech that can create a baby from a sample of DNA as small as a strand of hair. It doesn’t matter what the parents’ genders are.”

“And this girl definitely acted like Laurel,” Cisco pointed out, “But her cry sounded like yours.”

Dinah stared at the security image of the kid. She had Dinah’s hair and Laurel’s facial structure. Dinah had to admit... she did look like the perfect combination of Siren and Canary.

“How sure are you?”

“Very sure,” Caitlyn said, “The match for both of you was 99.98%. If she somehow faked her DNA, she did a very good job.”

“What’s her name?”

Cisco shrugged, “We have no idea. She wouldn’t tell us anything. We called her Treble before, but... now I’m thinking we need to come up with something more avian for her.”

“What’s this I hear about a kid from the future who claims to be my—“ Laurel stopped as she rounded the corner, “Dinah.”

“I was going to wait to tell her,” Barry said, somewhat defensively as he came around the corner, “But she was very persuasive.”

“So apparently we have a kid,” Dinah said simply.”

“Naturally,” Laurel responded, “Barry said it was alien tech.”

“Yup.”

“You both are being surprisingly cool about this,” Cisco said.

“I come from a parallel universe where you were one of the most feared men on the planet,” Laurel pointed out, “Babies made with by two women via alien technology is not that far fetched.”

“First of all, ouch,” Cisco said, “Second, we wanted to wait until we had both of you here to try to find her, so any ideas how to do that?”

Laurel shrugged, “If she’s my daughter, you might be able to track her cry. Felicity did that once.”

“But then we won’t be able to find her until she uses it,” Caitlyn objected.

Dinah shrugged, “Well, I kind of doubt she’s going to hurt anyone, being our kid.”

“You never know,” Laurel muttered, “I wasn’t exactly an angel child when I was young.”

...

The brown-haired girl guessed she wasn’t that surprised when two birds landed behind her.

What would become the Justice League was too good not to.

“Hey, little girl,” the Siren said, “We heard you’ve been causing a lot of trouble.”

The girl didn’t respond.

“You got a name?” the Canary asked.

“Violet Canary.”

“How about your real name?” the Siren pressed.

Violet Canary finally turned around to face her mothers, “Quinn Olivia Drake.”

“You’re here to get Nora and Joe,” Dinah said.

“That’s right.”

“So,” Laurel said after a few seconds of awkward silence, “Which of us is ‘Mom’ and which is ‘Mama?’”

Quinn shrugged, “I don’t know. You both died before I was born.”

“What?” Dinah asked.

“What happened to not being able to tell anything about the future?” Laurel added.

“It’s different,” Quinn muttered, “I never knew you, but I spent my whole life missing you. I understand why Nora and Joe did what they did. I wish I could do it, too. But I know that I can’t make you survive the Crisis without possibly making something worse happen in response.”

“What could be the harm in spending a few days here?” Laurel asked, surprising both Quinn and Dinah, “If you never got to know us in your time?”

Quinn smiled sadly, “More than you think.”

“Whether you knew us or not, you’re our daughter,” Dinah said, “We want to know you.”

“I can teach you some tricks with your cry,” Laurel volunteered.

Quinn knew it would lead to more harm than good. She knew she could disrupt the very timeline she had come here to preserve.

But the chance to spend time with the mothers she never knew? To possibly prevent them from ever dying in the first place?

“Just for a couple days.”

#arrow #legacy heroes au #dinahsiren #daughter #dinah drake #dinah laurel lance #laurel lance #black canary #black siren #quinn olivia drake #violet canary

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agenjudislotonlineterperca-blog1 · 4 years ago

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aithne · 5 years ago

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(Illume) Tomika's Letters, 8/7 - 8/12: The Worm Turns

8/7/1583 Aomori

Dear Yukiko,

Short sailing this morning, landing us in Aomori this afternoon. We were met immediately by Storming Bear's samurai, and taken to his house and feasted in what appears to be Unicorn grand style. Much meat was involved. Bizarre, but there you have it. He noted immediately that the librarian was different, and said that his new form and apparent profession were much better than his old one. Storming Bear is many things, but stupid is not among them. He knew exactly what the librarian was, before.

We spoke of Minoru, the general who is trying to stir up conflict within the Unicorn, and he said that he'd never heard of the man. Almost as an afterthought, he said he'd had an advisor who he'd fired a month or so back, because he disliked his advice. That advisor was named Tadao, and had gone to Oni Killer after he was dismissed. Oni Killer happens to be Storming Bear's greatest rival within his clan.

So very convenient, it seems.

The Dragon samurai that Haku had sent to the Unicorns rather than causing trouble with the Lions had arrived; unfortunately, they had taken many casualties, and were something of a ragtag band of fifty-odd at this point. There was one that had been altered, who Storming Bear had been about to kill, but he offered to let us take a look at him first.

After finishing our meal, we did so.

Interesting, what we found. A man, but a man more afflicted by strength than any I have seen, wrapped in bonds of muscle as tightly as any ropes. He was feverish and sweating, moaning in what seemed to be pain, the sheet on his mat knotted around him. The scent of his sweat hung thick and sour in the air. Something was wrong. Something was very wrong indeed.

Storming Bear said gravely, "He said that the Dragon contingent had run into Oni Killer's people, and each of them were as giants in their strength. When he killed one, the Unicorn's blood splashed into the Dragon's wounds, and very soon he was feeling unwell. He has been like this for a week, perhaps two. Death would be a kindness, at this point."

Haku asked Panda to look at him with her orb of true seeing. She did, and whatever she saw made her go as white as her hair. She handed the orb to Reiko without comment, and fled from the room. She has had quite the touchy stomach lately, has Panda. Reiko peered through the orb and murmured, "That's neat. Disturbing, but neat."

The orb was passed around, everyone making somewhat disgusted noises. When it came to me, I could see what they had been grimacing about--under the man's skin and inside of him were worms, wriggling, exerting some sort of influence over him. Haku suggested using the true source on him and we promptly did so.

Unfortunately, it worked, but not how we wanted it to.

The worms did indeed come out of him. But they exited through his skin. It was as if he suddenly had dissolved in a cloud of blood. He drew his breath inward as if to scream but died before he could let it out.

We burned the worms that had come out of him and made arrangements for the body of the Dragon to be burned. Gryphon, as we burned the worms, ducked his head under his wing, and whined, "Owwwww....make them stop!" Reiko, confused, inquired what he wanted to make stop, and he said, "The worms are screaming! Can't you hear?"

None of us could, except Gryphon. Oni Killer also brought us a broken katana, and said that the dead Dragon had snapped it in two with his bare hands. Such strength is a frightening thing. Humans are not meant to be so strong.

Storming Bear told us Oni Killer's true name, with the request that we keep it secret, so that Funitsu could scry on him. (I can't tell you what the name is. But I assure you that it is very, very amusing. Evidently Oni Killer's parents had a vicious sense of humor.)

My husband scried, and came back with the information that Oni Killer has three hundred samurai, all altered as the Dragon who had just died was, stationed south and east of Aomori. South farther still are another three hundred troops, evidently in process--probably being altered as the rest are.

Tomorrow, we go south to try and see if we can interrupt the processing of the samurai. Tonight, however, we sleep.

Flirtation is not working on my husband. Strong measures are needed. I am unsure what these measures are, but I will come up with something, I'm sure. Perhaps Panda would have some advice.

Much affection, Tomika

8/8/1583 Aomori

Dear Yukiko,

Such an exciting day! A lovely fight against a mighty foe, and travel in comfort via the mirror. This is, indeed, the life. We headed south early this morning, all of us except Gryphon, Reiko, and Tadaki in the mirror. Gryphon and Tadaki were flying, and Reiko was riding Gryphon, as she takes every excuse to do. She really seems quite fond of the gryphon. Perhaps because in some ways, they are the outsiders, here.

We took the Warresh with us but left the Thrykreen behind. We are very careful to keep the Warresh near enough to the librarian so that he can see them. Out of his line of sight, they may become unpredictable.

Near the place we were heading, there was a barren area, one that looked like it had been growing for some time. There were small turning winds dancing along the surface, as if something from underneath were disturbing the air above. Gryphon found a place to land, and we all came out of the mirror.

We discovered that there were creatures beneath the ground--one giant worm, and many smaller ones. When we dug up a bit of earth, we found that they were the same as the worms that had infected the Dragon samurai, only larger.

Much larger.

A plan was hatched. Tadaki would fire a fireball into the warrens of the worm, and Hiroshi would try to poison the largest one. Meanwhile, we would try to fetch Tadao, who was busily infecting samurai with these worms. We were hoping that in the confusion we could take care of Tadao before the samurai knew what was happening.

A good plan, and one we put into action right away. At the explosion we heard from the barren area, we set out at a run to try to get Tadao. Haku, being the fastest of us, was the first there, and tackled Tadao as he attempted to escape.

The flaw in our plan became apparent when out of the ground burst the largest worm. At a hundred or so feet long, it was massive and much faster than anything that big has any right to be. It was heading after Hiroshi and the Warresh, who were fast but not nearly fast enough.

Panda and Haku were taking care of Tadao, and the worm screamed. The samurai who had been infected, as one, bleed and fell as the worms flew out of them and crawled to join the large one. Perhaps one of the more disgusting sights in the last few days.

I took aim at the worm, but then something happened to make anything I could do exceptionally dangerous. Gryphon had swooped down to pick up the librarian, snatching him out of harm's way, and tried to toss him up in the air and fly under him to catch him on his back. This, unfortunately, did not work as intended, and the librarian dropped, falchion-first, onto the worm's back.

I saw him pour something into the wound, and the worm convulsed and screamed again, writing, trying to rid itself of the man on its back. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Reiko with eyes narrowed, pointing at the worm.

Out of the tiny shaman came a great cry, directed at the worm. "BAD WORM. LIE DOWN!"

And, impossibly, it did.

A few minutes later, it shuddered and died, the poison that the librarian had given it finally working. And where the body of the worm had been, there was suddenly a hole in the air. One that led, quite improbably, back to Kyoto. We didn't trust the hole, and decided to linger to see if it would fade.

In the meantime, Haku gave Tadao some of the true source, and he turned out to be most cooperative, considering that he was one of the Dragon's. He agreed to work for us on the inside, which means we can, perhaps, have Panda's husband Nibori travel with us. I am hoping that will make her less short-tempered.

Tadao said that he though, after the mother worm had died, that in three or so days all of her children would die. We elected to test that theory by going back to Storming Bear and telling him that we could wait for three days and see what happened.

We also have a priest here who has agreed to ride on Gryphon and try a Mass Heal spell on some of the worm-altered people, to see what happens. More on that tomorrow.

Much affection, Tomika

8/11/1583 Aomori

Dear Yukiko,

It has been a tense but otherwise restful three days. When the priest did his heal spell from afar, the worms in the samurai died but their strength did not decrease. We elected to see this as a good sign.

The rest was waiting. I overheard Reiko asking Storming Bear if he had any daughters of marriageable age, and he said he had two. "But you might want the younger one, the oldest is ugly." Having met the girls in question, I had to agree. The younger is a remarkably pleasant girl, sweet of face if not overly pretty. The elder is...well, "ugly" sums it up. It is somewhat difficult to tell she is female, as a matter of fact.

I believe that Reiko is matchmaking, perhaps for your brother, perhaps for Haku or Tadaki. Trust the kitsune, in the middle of a war, to try and marry off those around her. She used to be a politician. Perhaps, in some way, she still is.

Today, we received reports that all of those who'd been infected with the worms had fallen over and slept for a time. Storming Bear stated that he could now take care of Oni Killer, and we have taken our leave.

Panda has been teaching her dog, who appears to be named Dog, to fetch. Dog caught on quickly, but seems to have generalized "fetch" to mean "bring anything small and portable to Panda". So far, Panda has been the recipient of shoes, pieces of Thrykreen armor, two kittens, a set of dice, someone's money pouch, one of the combs I use in my hair, and Taura in fox form, who looked very cranky indeed at being hauled around by a dog.

We're going to Akita, to see if we can convince Nibori to travel with us. Four days to Akita, we think; the winds are unfavorable at the moment for a southward journey.

Much affection, Tomika

8/12/1583 At sea, towards Akita

Dear Yukiko,

Most upsetting and puzzling happenings today. When my husband arose and opened his door, he was the recipient of three darts in the chest, each poisoned. We all heard his shout and came running, and found him pale and sweating, the poison already taking effect.

Reiko rolled her eyes, told Funitsu to hold still, and stood on her tiptoes and kissed his neck, lightly. A red light burned briefly in Funitsu's chest, and she pulled out the darts, the poison on them neutralized. She dropped them in the librarian's hand and stalked off, muttering something about people who were so unobservant as to walk into an assassins' darts.

The device that had fired the darts was a clever Black Hand creation, keyed to Lord Soshi, and we determined that it had been set recently enough that the person who'd set it was probably still on board. Haku went searching and Panda mustered the crew on deck, none of whom had anything unusual about them.

And at the same time, we noticed two things happening. One was that there was a sparkling cloud forming right before Shrike. The second was that the outlines of the ship were changing, taking on a sleeker, faster form.

Panda said a word I didn't think she knew, and I'm not certain she appreciates all of the connotations of. All of us except Gryphon plunged below decks, towards the control chamber. If the outlines of the ship hadn't changed, we'd never have known that someone was in the control chamber.

In the control webbing was someone who was obviously a ninja, and probably a Black Hand member. He or she--it was difficult to tell, with the clothing and the mask--disentangled themself from the control webbing, and braced to attack. Ignoring the ninja, Haku ran past , grabbing his reality-door wakizashi, and proceeded to teleport the entire ship five hundred yards to the left--far enough so we wouldn't sail into the sparkling cloud.

Reiko tried to do the spell she'd done so successfully on the worm, only it rebounded on her, leaving her stunned and mostly incapable of movement. The rest joined battle with the ninja. After taking some grievous wounds from Panda, the ninja slid under her guard, grabbed Reiko by the throat, and hissed, "How quickly do you want her to die? I suggest you stand down." The voice was definitely female.

I could see Panda hesitate, doing the calculus of honor in her head. Somewhere, I believe, she came to the conclusion that the promises of assassins can never be trusted, and came in for another attack.

True to her word, the ninja cut Reiko's throat and dropped her to the boards. Within moments, her body shrank inside her kimono, signaling that she was dead.

The fight, after that, was brief and bloody, ending with Haku taking off the ninja's head. Beside me, Funitsu said, "That's another piece of Arenro's spirit." He uncovered the ninja's dead face. It was nobody I recognized, but the librarian said, "Well, that was Takako. The former second in command in the Hand."

One more down, it seems. Perhaps they have started taking us more seriously.

Funitsu asked me to cast Speak With Dead, so I did, and while he was debating what to ask her, I dug the little black fox body out of Reiko's kimono. I'm reasonably sure the scarlet fabric is ruined. She goes through much clothing, does the kitsune. Perhaps I should look into making a fireproof kimono for her in my spare time. I gave her one of the resurrection tablets I keep on me, and she blurred and changed into her human form, beginning to breathe once more, her damaged throat healing over without a scar.

She opened her eyes, and I said, "You know, every time you wake to see me, you've just died."

She winced and rubbed her throat, and said, "I remember." Pulling on her kimono, both of us turned to pay attention to Funitsu's questioning of Takako's head.

She said she'd come aboard at Aomori, and had secreted herself in a secret compartment aboard Shrike. She had the help of three other Hand members in this; nobody important, Funitsu said, but they'd be found and punished anyway.

We weighted the body down and threw it over the side, and I waved goodbye as it sank into the depths. She had only a few interesting items on her, but the mention of a secret compartment aboard this ship is worrisome to me. I suppose we'll ask Shrike.

Sailing to Akita, still. With any luck, Nibori will still be alive. I believe Panda worries for him; her touchy stomach lately, I think, is perhaps not all due to her pregnancy. Honestly, if having Nibori around will ease her moodiness, I for one am all for it.

There seems to be some sort of fuss up on deck. I suppose I should go see what it is. Perhaps the puppy has chewed something it's not supposed to again.

Much affection, Tomika

[a note, written in Tomika's hand, but undated]

I went to my husband's cabin tonight on some pretext; perhaps I was going to ask him to come see the full moon with me. I slipped into the small room silent as a mouse. I was about to waken him with a hand on his shoulder when I heard him speak, and froze.

He was muttering in his sleep. The only thing I could make out were the words, "Tsutsako. Why? And why?" The tone he said them in was heartbroken and sorrowful.

I stood, hand pressed against my mouth, until he quieted once again. Once he had fallen deeply asleep once more, I slipped from the room.

I know now who my rival is, Yukiko. She is his half-sister, and until he knows why she has betrayed him, I do not think he will even notice my attempts to capture his attention.

My heart is heavy this night with all I have not understood about my husband, and all I have yet to understand.

--Tomika.

Quotes:

"I'm going to bite you, Sparrow." --Reiko

"Hellloooo, creature!" --Gryphon

"It's going to either get a flaming enema or a facelift, depending on which way it's facing." "I fell into a burning ring of fire..." --Ray and Laura

"Can I have a D...something?" "...yes? I think you're going to have to be more specific." --Graham and Kris

"We made a hole in the worm, and the worm made a wormhole." --Graham

"I'm sorry, Lord, for anything I've done in the past, and to your ancestors in the future." --Storm, as Tadao

"…who are you trying to marry off, Reiko?" "Never mind." --Haku and Reiko

"A kappa is a master of martial arts...so they're ninja turtles." --Bryan

"We travel with a former assassin, a current assassin, and the leader of the assassins. You bet I carry Neutralize Poison. I'm not an idiot." --Reiko, explaining why she happened to be carrying the perfect spell for the situation

"You know, every time you wake up and see me, you've just died." --Storm, as Tomika.

"You never really know a thing until you've put it in your mouth." --Kris

#so queued #gaming recaps: illume #D&D recap

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rueitae · 6 years ago

Text

See You Yesterday (Part 2)

After joining the team of time travelers in their search for the Lions of Voltron, Lance is taken on his first mission. Pidge is cool about it, but Lance is feeling the heat - literally. There’s a volcano about to erupt and that’s exactly where the Red Lion is going to show up.

Dedicated to @flik98 who drew this wonderful piece from the first chapter. I wasn’t going to write a second part, but after that I just couldn’t leave it be.

Flik and @cgf-kat independently suggested the backdrop. (You didn’t realize it Kat, but you did.) Loosely based off of my favorite Doctor Who episode. :)

Thank you @sp4c3-0ddity for beta work. It’d have been a mess otherwise.

~4500 words

Read on Ao3

Excerpt:

Lance glared, and Pidge conveniently took a longer sip of wine than necessary, hiding a smug grin. “It’s nice to know that some of us are less nervous than others,” he harshly whispered back.

It wasn’t that he was nervous about the mission, even if it was his first. The concept was fine by him; go through the mystical time vortex, blend in with the local population and recover information about the whereabouts of the Voltron Lions, then return to base before disaster happened.

And it was a disaster he had been promised. Major historical events drew the Lions out of hidden pockets in between time. This particular moment in history, and their current location, was what had his hairs standing on end.

“Don’t get your toga all in a bunch, Lance. We’ll be out of here well before the volcano blows,” she reassured him.

Read the fic in its entirely below:

Lance held the wet cloth firmly down on the marble counter. He let his muscle memory take over, using mainly the motion in his elbow to clean the surface of spilled wine - for the tenth time today. And it was only mid-afternoon.

Getting wrapped up with time travelers, the last place he had expected to end up was back in a bar. Even so, Lance was grateful that his learned skills and natural mannerisms were useful for a stakeout of this kind. It made it easier to convince the patrons - and himself - that he belonged here.

A group of rowdy men whooped and cheered as they played their game of dice, something that Lance knew was illegal here. He understood why, remembering plenty of conflict over loaded dice back in his own time.

Patrons all around enjoyed good company, at least six different conversations happening at once. They ate the morning’s catch from nearby Herculaneum with bread and plenty of wine.

Despite the similarities, this bar was not the kind he remembered. Nor were the clothes - tunic - he wore.

He knew about ancient Rome of course, but living it was an entirely different experience.

He dared to look up from his task ever so slightly to side-eye his real objective. The muscular individual was seated alone in the far corner of the wine bar, sipping on the same cup Lance had given him nearly two hours before.

This was the guy they had to beat to the Red Lion? He was big but didn’t look Galra. If not for the in-depth briefing he’d received before coming here, Lance would have said the man was completely human. That was Galra technology he supposed. Slav used a similar device to hide his clearly alien appearance when he needed to walk around the city.

Lance felt a bead of sweat roll down his temple, and not from the warm day and hot ovens. The briefing had been clear on one thing: Sendak would attack at any time of the day regardless of witnesses.

Lance was not looking forward to fighting him, especially not in front of a crowd, so for the time being he needed to keep up his bartender act. As long as Sendak didn’t know there were other time travelers present, they’d be fine.

“Careful, you’re going to rub a hole into the stone,” Pidge quipped. She came up behind him, just exiting the kitchen with a basket of freshly baked bread in her hands. She placed it on the newly cleaned counter and reached over to the wine barrel, pleased to pour herself a drink.

Like him, she was also dressed for the period in a white dress covered by a pale green cloak. The gathered layers neatly hid her glasses and pocket watch.

Lance glared, and Pidge conveniently took a longer sip of wine than necessary, hiding a smug grin. “It’s nice to know that some of us are less nervous than others,” he harshly whispered back.

“Don’t get your toga all in a bunch, Lance. We’ll be out of here well before the volcano blows,” she reassured him.

Water dripped between his fingers as Lance tightened his grip on the moist rag. “Why do I have the feeling that’s exactly what you told Allura before you found me and ended up half a second away from getting both of us filled with lead.”

Pidge fiddled with her loosely braided hair, adorned with ribbons to match her cloak and necessary to help tame her now significantly longer hair. A time traveler’s perk, Lance had opted to keep his hairstyle the same.

He was beginning to think she looked gorgeous in any outfit. That, or he was smitten beyond redemption.

“You have to take some calculated risks with this job,” she explained, not for the first time. “We have to find the Lions first. Failure isn’t an option. If Zar —” She stopped herself, continuing in a quieter voice, “If that guy gets his hands on even one Lion he could mess with history, cause temporal anomalies which will collapse in on themselves trying - and failing thanks to the power of the Lion - to correct the timeline,” she finished firmly.

Lance only caught the gist of her explanation, but that was all he needed. He loved the confidence that radiated from her when she spoke. Her vigor was inspiring.

Smitten indeed.

“So, Voltron is like, the ultimate time machine?” Lance asked, continuing his task to appear busy. Pidge set down her cup and picked up another to clean.

“It’s a multi-reality being split into five parts,” Pidge obliged. Lance snorted as she raised a hand to adjust glasses that weren’t currently there. She glared at him for his trouble. “Allura says it’s more of a guardian of time rather than a travel machine, although I suppose traveling comes with the guardian part. Out of place and roaming free it’s already causing strange temporal fluctuations in the grandfather clock. In Zarkon’s hands they will become worse and more calculated.”

Lance nodded. He remembered the giant clock that sat in the main briefing room. Allura used it to pinpoint possible locations of the Voltron Lions.

“This was part of the briefing, you know,” Pidge told him dryly. “You didn’t fall asleep, did you?”

“I was plenty awake,” Lance bristled, offended. “I just don’t understand half the stuff you talk about.” He leaned over, resting an elbow on the counter. “It just all goes over my head.”

Pidge’s face softened at his admission. “You’ll get there, Lance. You’re catching on fast already.” She placed an encouraging hand on his shoulder with an accompanying smile. “Your wife says so.”

Her tone was teasing, but it drove heat directly into his cheeks. Pretending to be married hadn’t even been necessary for the mission, but Pidge had wanted to wear anything other than just white. Per period custom, that mean she had to be married.

He turned away, admitting only to himself that he was flustered at the idea. “Okay, I get it. Get the Lions or we actually are doomed.”

“Worse than any volcanic eruption will do to you,” Pidge confirmed. “Got your watch?”

Lance let his hand drift over his chest, his own time device secure under his robes. “Same place it was last time you asked. I’m not going to lose it,” he said, offended that she continued to ask. He understood it was his only way home and out of disaster.

Pidge nodded, satisfied. “Good. It’s your most valuable possession. Make sure you don’t.”

“When are you going to teach me those fancy tricks they can do?” Lance wondered.

“You mean the tracking and appearance shifter?” she clarified. Lance nodded once in confirmation, urging her to continue. “Hopefully I can show you on this mission. The only one you really need to know for now is how to get home.”

“Wind the watch to noon exactly and let go of the stem while holding it to any wall,” Lance recited. “I got it.” He could do this, he was confident he could help.

Apparently he didn’t show the same confidence.

“You were the one excited to help me. Losing your nerve?” she joked, taking up her filled cup again.

“I’ll be fine,” Lance insisted. “I just hate the waiting part, especially when all I can do is look at the window and stare at a volcano that I know is about to blow its top with us in its path.”

“Well you’re doing good - better than Hunk on his first go. Ask him about it sometime,” Pidge said with a grin, rolling her wrist and sloshing her drink around in its cup. “If this goes well, we can put you in any bar to listen for information. It’s the perfect guise for a stakeout.”

Lance raised an eyebrow and decided to test the waters. “What about you?” he teased. “What about your first mission?”

The cup slammed onto the counter, wine spilling onto it. A few patrons closest to them paused to look but quickly turned back to their own conversation.

Lance knew a sore subject when he saw one. “Gotcha. No questions about that,” he relented. He released a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. “At my old job everyone had certain things they wanted to keep close.”

Pidge’s gaze softened. “No, it’s fine. You’re involved in this now, and you’re my partner on top of it. You deserve to know.” She took an exaggerated breath. “You know my family is missing. You don’t know that it was my fault.

“I come from a family of inventors,” she began proudly. “My parents are brilliant people, and they taught me and my brother everything they know.” Her tone turned melancholy. “I found my pocket watch one day by accident. We studied it for ages, until my mom discovered that plants in the same room would grow quicker. Dad realized it was a time machine, so we tried to make it work.”

Pidge bit her lip and sucked air in through her teeth before continuing. “I took it apart, thinking that’s what we had to do to figure out how it ticked. It - it took my family. It scattered them across time.”

Lance caught his jaw hanging open. “Oh Pidge…”

Pidge composed herself. “I met Allura not even a day later. Mom had ended up in her time, and discovered the watches were made by her father. She told me about Voltron, and ever since then I’ve been helping to find the Lions while I look for my father and brother.”

“I’m sorry,” he said. He didn’t know what else to say.

“You don’t have to apologize, Lance.” She smiled warmly. “It’s nice to get that off my chest every now and then.”

Lance showed her his best grin. “Well, you’ve got one more to help look now,” he said confidently. “You’re not alone.”

Pidge smiled more brightly than Lance had ever seen. She opened her mouth to respond, but her words were lost as the ground shook violently beneath their feet.

Lance braced himself with the counter, and most of the patrons did the same with less luck. Many of them were tossed to the ground with the unbolted wooden tables.

It was over as quickly as it had started, just like the last dozen over the course of the day.

Lance brushed the dust off his hair that had fallen from the ceiling. Pidge removed her white knuckles from the bar.

Her robes vibrated and Pidge fished out her golden timepiece. It continued to hum in her palm. She raised her head to look Lance in the eye.

“The Red Lion should be phasing into this timeline now,” Pidge said urgently. “The tremors are getting more frequent. It’s time to drop the facade.”

“Okay - for the fate of the universe,” Lance said, picking up Pidge’s spilled cup for a mock toast. Pidge rolled her eyes and jumped the counter, but not before he caught the smallest of grins on her face. He set the cup down and followed in kind, ecstatic to have had that effect on her.

“Remember your briefing,” Pidge said. Lance followed her purposeful steps through the dust cloud and towards Sendak. “Don’t let him grab you by his robot arm. Galra tech is harmful to the timeline as is. It could rewrite your history if you aren’t careful.”

“Got it,” Lance responded with all seriousness. His hands twitched with nervousness. Once in on the action there wouldn’t be time to think about what could go wrong.

Like Sendak not being there anymore.

Lance stood dumbstruck. “Pidge - what do we do?”

Pidge held her watch out as if it were a compass and scanned the area. The minute hand flew around counterclockwise, while the hour hand twitched back and forth from the three o’clock hour.

Lance observed her wild eyes and fearful frown, trying to work out the situation at hand. She pressed the stopwatch feature rapidly, aiming it at the very seat Sendak had vacated.

“He’s hopped,” she said. “He’s sped up the timeline. The volcano is going to erupt sooner than it’s supposed to unless we get Sendak's arm out of this time period.”

“Wait, I thought we couldn’t relive a timeline?” Lance said. “That something bad would happen if we did?”

Pidge pressed her thumb on the clock face and a swirling vortex of golden energy appeared over the table, a physical manifestation of the exact problem they were trying to prevent. She looked him dead in the eye. “Now you know why Zarkon is so dangerous.”

Lance stiffened. “How are we supposed to find him now? He could be anywhere.”

“I know where he is.” Pidge bit her lip, pondering any possible course of action. “It’s weird,” she said, looking at her watch. “It says he’s still nearby, but… that would mean he traveled through time rather than spatially.”

Almost to spite their efforts, the ground rumbled yet again. Unsure even why, Lance wrapped an arm around Pidge and used the other to brace them both against the wall. Seconds seemed to last a minute.

“You okay?” he asked once it was over, face planted in her messy hair.

He couldn’t see her expression, but her breathing quickened and it took an extra moment for her to respond. “Yeah, I’m good. Thanks. Good thing we’re married,” she quipped, “you’re useful for making sure I don’t fall.”

Lance laughed and matched her light tone. “One of my many talents, including my sharpshooting skills.”

“I hope we don’t have to use them; guns haven’t even been invented yet,” Pidge moaned. “Let’s get walking. I’d rather confront Sendak away from the city.”

Lance straightened and looked around the empty room. Hadn’t there been at least dozen patrons before the first earthquake?

A multitude of footsteps pounded on the stone road outside. The door slammed open, and a crowd hustled into the room, eyes angry when they settled on him and Pidge.

“There she is - the woman responsible for the earthquakes! Take her to the governor!”

Lance turned to Pidge, heart beating far more quickly than he would have liked. Her wide-eyed shock mirrored his own.

Pidge stuffed her watch back into her cloak. “D-don’t engage,” she whispered hastily as the citizens crowded around them. Two larger men took a hold of his own arms. “We’ll be fine,” she continued as they were dragged outside.

Lance understood the unsaid reason. They couldn’t get the civilians involved.

The people from this time were superstitious, Lance knew from the briefing. But how did they single out Pidge as the cause of the earthquakes?”

Rough prodding forced Lance to his knees. He caught himself from landing face first on the smooth stone. Large legs came into his field of vision and Lance stopped breathing. He made the mistake of looking up to see who they belonged to.

“You see? The earthquake stopped as soon as you found them!” Sendak said, a cruel grin saved just for them. “Let them intercede on your behalf. Give them to Vesuvius!”

The crowd cheered, but dread filled Lance. He locked eyes with Pidge, whose face told a similar story.

If they didn’t do something soon, they would become history.

~~~

“I’ll admit that was pretty clever,” Pidge said, “using your timepiece to make yourself governor just so they’d turn on us.”

Lance commended her calm - he was barely keeping it together himself.

If the scene and the noticeable increase in elevation hadn’t been enough, Lance felt his own pocket watch vibrate against his chest. It meant the event was about to happen.

They were upon the volcano now, just the three of them. Sendak had removed his disguise and towered over them in all his alien glory.

Lance found some amusement in the giant purple, furred, space alien wearing something so human as a toga. His humor left every time the chariot hit a large bump, which was occurring more often now that they were on the mountain itself.

Sendak held a jagged knife close to Lance’s throat and just within his peripheral vision. It reminded Lance of his predicament far more than the giant ash plume emanating from the mouth of the volcano. He tried not to make it worse by swallowing hard, but the rocky terrain made it impossible to avoid the painful cuts.

Sendak concentrated on driving, but the sick joy of watching Lance squirm was unmistakable on his face.

Pidge stood on the other side of their captor, arms in shackles in front of her.

“The situation necessitated itself. Fortunately I could smell your Altean stench from across the room,” Sendak said in disgust. “The populace was easy to manipulate.”

“Why organize all this then?” Pidge pressed. “You knew at least one of us would be here. We would have reached the Red Lion near the same time anyway.”

The ground shook and the horse whinnied in panic. This close to the volcano, the earth opened up and split, causing the chariot to overturn.

Lance tumbled out, the sharp dagger painfully slicing open his cheek as he fell.

He landed with a skid, scraping his skin and making it burn painfully. The quake ended.

"You are fortunate to find out," Sendak continued.

Lance forced himself up to see that the Galra man recovered and shot to his feet first. He held Pidge by the arm and they walked purposefully further up the volcano. The horse sped away into the distance, but Lance kept his eyes on Pidge. He scrambled to follow them.

Their destination was now clear. A sizable cave was carved into the side of the mountain, clearly by human hands. Foreign letters decorated the trim.

Pidge struggled and squirmed as Lance ran to catch up, doing her part to get free from Sendak's grasp. She didn't complain, merely grunted angrily.

Until he took her watch.

"Give that back! It's useless to you!" Pidge yelled as they crossed the threshold.

"Haggar will be pleased to find a use for it. You will no longer need it," Sendak threatened, placing the precious object into his own robes. He pushed Pidge into a large, smooth stone that lay deeper into the cave, letters adorning its edges.

Lance ran, enraged with his fist poised in the air to strike. “Let her go!" Pidge had saved his life, he wasn't about to not repay her the favor.

Lance was thrown to the ground for his trouble, and hitting the rocky walls knocked the wind out of him. He slowly lifted himself up, not taking his eyes off Pidge.

Sendak pounded an iron rod into the stone slab between Pidge's chains, her arms stretched well over her head. In a feat of strength he twisted the metal inwards, making sure there would be no escape for her but for a key - which remained back in the city. Pidge twisted and pulled to get free, leaning her feet against the stone for leverage to no avail. She was trapped.

"This place has been used to make sacrifices to the volcano for hundreds of years. A fitting beginning to Zarkon's reign over all eternity." His words were proud, and although meant to send terror, they only enhanced Lance's anger.

"You won't get away with it!" Pidge yelled. “There are others out there to stop you!”

"I believe I already have."

A bright light lit up the very end of the cavern. Lance averted his gaze at the sensory overload, but he still heard it.

A lion's roar. The roar of the Red Lion.

That meant the volcanic explosion was imminent. The alarm on his watch vibrated once again.

Lance looked back to observe Sendak approach the Red Lion. He had seen what it looked like in briefings, mechanical in nature. What he had not been expecting was how imposing and lifelike it was. Bright yellow eyes pierced his very soul and it towered over even Sendak's large form.

"At last, the first piece to recovering Voltron," Sendak said, petting the Lion on the snout. It rumbled menacingly.

"Lance, get out of here! You have to warn Allura!" Pidge pleaded. The volcano rumbled and Lance felt the heat rise exponentially.

There was no time left. Lance clutched his pocket watch in his palm, the same that Pidge demanded he use to leave.

But that meant leaving Pidge to die, and that was not acceptable.

Lance turned his sights on Sendak. If he was going to have any chance to save Pidge he needed to take care of him first.

“Lance, don’t!” Pidge yelled as Lance launched to his feet. She’d already caught on to his plan, but he didn’t care.

Sendak wasn’t expecting him, the astonished look on his face saying as much. Lance rammed into him elbow first and it was enough force to send the both of them to the ground.

“Welp!” Sendak growled. Like a striking snake, Sendak wrapped his large, clawed hands around Lance’s neck, squeezing tight. Sparks of yellow temporal energy seeped out, threatening to ensnare Lance. If he didn’t do something soon, he’d be lost to time.

He choked, struggling from the lack of breath, but did not make an effort to free his neck. He closed an eye to focus his vision from the illusionary spots that flooded it. He raised his right arm - still holding his pocket watch…

… and slammed it into Sendak’s chest, breaking it into pieces.

Silence filled the air and a grey filter came over Lance’s view of the world. There was no low rumble of the volcano, no sound of rocks rolling down the side of the mountain, and the temperature noticeably cooled to a comfortable level.

Time had stopped.

The impact itself didn’t harm the Galra at all, but the destruction of the timepiece brought a flicker of surprise. Then anger crossed his features.

Lance used the moment to remove Sendak’s hand from his throat and push himself away.

Multi-colored whisps originating from the broken watch surrounded Sendak. Although harmless looking, the ribbons of light confined him tightly.

“When Zarkon comes into power, I will destroy you first,” he promised with infuriated huffs.

The lights flashed and when Lance looked back, Sendak was gone.

Time flowed once more. The rocky walls started to crack from the increasing pressure of the magma.

Lance ran to Pidge and hugged her tight. No words exchanged between them initially.

Hot tears fell on his shoulder and a sob that wasn’t his rang louder than the destruction around them. “You idiot,” Pidge said. “Now you’re stuck here too.”

“I was a dead man before you found me,” Lance said, finding himself oddly at peace while on death’s doorstep. “I’m not ever going to leave you.”

Sendak had her watch. With his broken, they had no way to escape the eruption. The cracks in the wall grew. If he was going to die, it was going to be holding Pidge.

The loud roar of the Red Lion interrupted Lance’s life reflection and he turned to look at it in awe.

“The volcano hasn’t erupted yet,” Pidge said, her breathing wet with tears. “We should be dead by now. I… I think the Lion is preventing it.”

Red stood to all fours, leaning over them with a single forepaw. The Lion swiped and cut Pidge’s chain off cleanly, leaving only the cuffs around her wrists. Then, it bent down before them and opened its mouth.

Lance caught his mouth agape. “Pidge, what is it doing?” he whispered.

Pidge’s brow furrowed in thought, examining the Lion. Lance could almost see the calculations running in her brain through her eyes.

“I think,” she turned to Lance, a smile once again gracing her features. “I think it’s offering to take us home.”

Lance looked around the cavern. The walls bulged but did not break, almost as if the cave was breathing.

He frowned. “But if Red is holding back the eruption and we use it to go home…” His heart filled with a guilt Lance didn’t know was possible. “Then we... we’re the reason the eruption happens. We’re the reason all those people die.”

Gently, Pidge took his hand. Her eyes held both a sympathy and a determination he wished he had at the moment.

“We can’t change history, Lance. Not like this,” she said firmly. “This eruption happens. We can’t save everyone, but we can save the future by getting the Red Lion back to headquarters.”

Lance inhaled sharply. “Isn’t there just one person? You said it yourself, if we can just save someone - like you did with me.”

Tears pricked in her eyes. “Not this time. As soon as we leave in the Red Lion the pyroclastic flow will already be over Pompeii. I’m sorry, Lance. We missed our chance here.”

“We’re time travelers,” Lance emphasized. “Why not?”

“Because now we’ve both lived this event,” Pidge said sadly. “We won’t be able to go back to the same place and time.”

Lance dropped to his knees, just barely holding back the waterfall behind his eyes. “I hate this job”--sniffed to clear his voice--“next time I am going to save someone. I swear it.”

Pidge knelt and held him close. “And I’ll be right there helping you,” she said. “We should go. The Red Lion opened up to you for a reason. Let’s not waste this second chance.” She grinned. “I don’t plan on dying until I find my family.”

“You’d better not even after you find them,” Lance insisted.

Her smile turned warm and soft. “I guess if my husband says so,” she teased.

Lance laughed. “I kind of like the sound of that. I’ll hold you to it.”

“You need my dad’s permission first,” Pidge said, helping him to his feet. “So I guess we’re courting until we find him and Matt.”

Lance’s jaw dropped. “I - I wasn’t serious about that!”

She leaned up on her toes and planted a loving kiss by the corner of his mouth. His heartbeat soared.

“Well, I wouldn’t say no to going steady,” he confessed.

Pidge laughed, a sound that became more angelic to him by every passing moment. “Your cheeks burn worse than I do in the sun.” She took his hand. “To the next adventure?”

Lance grinned and jogged into the Red Lion, dragging Pidge in after him.

The next adventure indeed.

#plance #pidgance #flirtyrobot #voltron legendary defender #vld fanfic #rueitae #my writing #threw in some minor fake marriage in there too #mission fic!#even more so than the first one #gets kinda angsty #trying a different posting format #send everyone to ao3!#i hope this gets into the tags that's been low key killing me

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emeryhuitt279467-blog · 6 years ago

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ghost-avalyn · 7 years ago

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After many hours of deliberation I came up with some answers to a questionnaire for Denver. <3 Questions can be found here! Some of the answers have dialogue, some have no dialogue, some are both.

Answers and stuff under the cut.

1.) What is your guardian’s name? What does it mean? What inspired you to choose that name for them?

Denver. No real reason, thought it was cute and when a name strikes me I usually stick with it because I'm chronically bad at naming.

2.) What did your guardian name their ghost? What does it mean? What inspired them to choose that name?

Her name is Avalyn. It means “beautiful breath of life”. The name is fairly self-explanatory. Mostly, he calls her Av.

“Heh, funny story. I was rezzed in a bookstore... I can't read. Av deciphers things for me, so it's not really worth it to learn. Anyways. I asked her what I could call her before I even figured out my own name. She took my request seriously and I helped her by turning the pages of some old-ass books. She found the name Avalyn. She seemed to like it, and she deserves a name she likes. So we kept it.”

3.) What is your guardians favorite weapon of choice? What mod do they use for it? Do they have a masterwork on it and if so, how many enemies have they killed with that weapon?

“Crimson looks pretty sweet with the gold studs. But I don't care about guns too much. Next question.”

4.) Do they participate in the Crucible often or do they just go to complete the daily challenges?

He likes participating in the Crucible to be immersed in the energy of battle and to screw around. He can't bring himself to care much about actually competing. He has an exposition kink so he's all about showing off his flips 'n shit.

“There are challenges? Man, that's news. I like showing off my flips, running around the maps, fucking around with the guardians. They're fun. They take things so seriously.”

5.) If your guardian had to choose to be another class, what class would they pick? Or would they stay the same?

He'd probably stay the same. The idea of being a big strong titan might appeal to him briefly, but only if his size were to change and I don't think it works that way.

“Oh! Would I get taller if I became a Titan? Unless it'd make me a bigger, beefier version of myself, no dice. I'd make a pretty lame Warlock, too.”

6.) What is their favorite subclass within their own class?

He's an Arcstrider, he knows no other life. Arc energy flows naturally for him, as if it chose him. The body movement with Arc Staff suits his innate connection to his center of gravity.

“Arcstrider for sure. If I was smarter, maybe I could figure out how to use different energy. Maybe I'm just lazy, I don't know. I needed Arc energy more than the others and it kinda came to me naturally. I'm not the Avatar over here.”

7.) What is their favorite subclass in a different class?

I wanted to go with something other than Striker, but, he has a strong affinity for Arc and can't help but admire the amount of force and energy that super utilizes.

“Strikers are sexy.”

8.) Would they rather receive a titan kiss ( a hard ass headbutt that mostly results in death ), asking a warlock a question that might result in a long explanation, or deciding to play the knife game with hunter and bet at high stakes?

“That's a tough one. But uh, probably go with the knife-game, it sounds fun.”

9.) Would they prank other guardians or just their close friends? What kind of pranks would they pull?

He'd be fairly cordial with any guardian that hadn't already pranked him in some way – that would be the green light. Except Dutch, he will forever be [attempting to] push him off ledges to get a rise out of that exo.

“I won't mess with a guardian I don't know. Unless, you know, they prank me first. But then we officially know each other, and it's fair game. With Dutch, I'm always trying to pull a fast one on him and somehow the fucker is always one step ahead of me. Do Exos have literal eyes on the back of their heads?”

10.) Which vanguard member to they like to hang out with the most?

He likes chilling with Cayde. He wants to learn more about Exos, and even if Cayde doesn't offer much in the way of knowledge, it's a nice breather to visit him every once in a while as he's a total opposite to Dutch personality-wise.

“Cayde is my bro. The other Vanguard members seem kinda... high strung for me. They don't like me very much anyways. Cayde doesn't mind when I show up unannounced, he's always up for company, and sometimes I need a break from Dutch's seriousness.”

11.) Who would they fmk out of Skolas, Ghaul, and Calus?

“I'd fuck the Fallen guy, marry the rich guy, and kill the asshole. Is there any other way to answer this question?”

12.) What kind of hobbies do they do in their free time? Are there any particular skills they have that help them with this hobby(s)?

“People watching, clubbing, dancing... Just hanging out.”

13.) What is their favorite armor set and what shader do they use for it?

Kairos armor set with Shinobu's vow, and Omolon Meteor Gloss.

14.) Do they prefer silence or are they unbothered in loud areas?

Denver is not a fan of silence. He didn't really think much about this until he started his life at The Tower and felt quite at home with the relative amount of chaos.

“I like loud areas with a lot of different things to pay attention to. Silence is boring.”

15.) Are they afraid of storms? If so, is there a specific reason why?

Nope, he loves them. The white noise calms him, the thunder claps excite him, and he absorbs arc energy considerably better in this kind of weather.

“Stormy weather is my favorite. I've been struck by lightning a few times. I'm pretty sure that's what happened. I was able to run off that energy and power my town for days without stopping.”

16.) Who were they before their ghost revived them? Do they know about this and if so how or what did they use to learn about themselves?

Denver grew up with his mother in a group of ten or so refugees far from any new-age civilization. They stuck together in a small pack, doing a lot of foraging to meet their basic needs. The group didn't get involved in war/political affairs and mainly kept to themselves.

“I dunno, but I don't think about the past much even when it's something I do remember.”

17.) How close are your guardian and their ghost? If they are not close, would your guardian kill their ghost and choose to answer the darkness’ calls?

They are best friends, partners in [sorta] crime. Avalyn calls Denver out on any of his bullshit but follows him loyally wherever they go.

“I love Av. We do everything together. She helps me out so much, and she makes a lot of good points about life-stuff.”

18.) Would your guardian engage in a romantic relationship with Fallen, Cabal, Hive, etc? If so, what do they find attractive about the species?

I don't know that he's ever considered it.

“Hm, Fallen are pretty good-looking. But romance? There's a bit of a language barrier there.”

19.) Who is their favorite lore hero? Example, Jolder, Saint-14, Andal Brask, etc. Why is this person their favorite and in what ways do they inspire your guardian? What would your guardian say if they were face to face with them?

He's heard some stories about Andal through his relationship with Cayde-6, he admires the strength of their friendship and wishes he was able to know the guy in person.

20.) Does your guardian like plants? If so, what kinds? Do they prefer flowers or trees or shrubs? Would they start a garden?

“Trees are nice, I guess. Especially those huge ones on Nessus.”

21.) If your guardian became obsessed with something, what would it be?

“Why do the exos get reset??? Does it shift them farther away from who they really are, is it convenient, and if it is convenient, to who?”

22.) Do they like reading books or watching movies or both? What genres are their favorites? Does their fireteam have the same taste?

Denver prefers watching movies because it can be a co-op experience. He can absorb the information with someone else and bounce it off of them, figuring out how his experience aligns with others'.

“Movies are cool with friends. I don't read. If I really wanted to, I could have Av help me read something, but I dunno. I'd rather have a conversation with someone who knows what they're talking about.”

23.) What kind of music do they like? Do they dance around anybody in any situation or in the privacy of their quarters? What would their favorite song from the Golden Age be?

He prefers future bass like “Exhale Therapy” by Conrank, or psychedelic pop, see “Feel it Still” by Portugal. The Man. But anything with a good beat is accepted.

“Hell yeah! I'll dance anywhere, everywhere, for anyone who's willing to watch. ;)”

24.) What does their living space look like? Are there a bunch of pictures around or do Knick knacks cover the shelves? Do they enjoy bright, neutral, or dark colors? Would they purchase a fur rug?

“My living space? Oh right. I have a bunk, but I don't spend much time there. Dutch's house is way nicer.”

IMO Denver lives in a shared living quarters with several other lower-ranked Guardians. He spends many more nights with Dutch-9 in his swank-ass modern-looking house, or Cayde's living quarters. He doesn't settle in one particular area, he can even be found couch surfing in the city. As far as personal belongings such as clothing, he does fancy bright, obnoxious coloring and is sometimes known to collect knick-knacks to adorn Avalyn's shell [with her approval] or just to collect dust in his bag/vault.

25.) Do they travel around the city often? If so, what are their favorite places to go and who do they go with? Are the civilians ever excited to see them or do they give them a look because of precious mishaps that resulted in property damage?

He does travel the city often. He likes anything that can be done in tandem with other people. Rather than dragging friends along, he tends to insert himself into groups easily, usually at bars/clubs, making tons of acquaintances and not many close friends. He likes to feel like he “knows people” and makes conversation with the owners of the buildings, yearning for a sense of belonging. Since his found-family from the refugee town was taken in by the city, he also visits them often to check on how city life is treating them and helps them out any way he can. He definitely has done some damage to local venues but does everything in his power to make it right when that happens.

26.) Are they good with kids? If not, how do they react when a child tries to talk to them? If they are good with kids, what kind of things do they do to entertain them?

“Kids are awesome. They're just... authentic, you know? I want to hear about their perspective on things. But I'll show them Arc-staff tricks if they're not into telling me their ideas about the world.”

27.) Are they in love with Shaxx?

“He's a great hype-man. I dig his enthusiasm. In love? Nah, but I have a normal amount of love for him.”

28.) When your guardian sleeps, are they stiff and stay in one spot or wild and kick off the sheets? Do they have nightmares often and if so, about what? How often do they sleep?

He's a bed hog, sprawling out his limbs and tossing and turning frequently. Sometimes known to react violently to being prodded if his partner wants to grab some of the blanket.

“Yeah, I've been told I'm a restless sleeper. I disagree, I'm a heavy sleeper. But... I guess I do take up more than my side of the bed. I love sleeping. Can I add that to my hobbies?”

29.) Do they enjoy coffee, tea, soda, or water? Would they mix all of these together and drink the liquid on a dare?

“Leaf water and mud water is nasty. I'll drink soda all day, but Av reminds it's not great for my stomach. Oh, a dare? Definitely.”

30.) What about their personality attracts other guardians to them? What is it about other guardians that attracts your guardian to them?

“My personality? I'm mostly nice, so maybe that's why I have an easy time making friends. And other guardians... Well, everyone has a story. I like to find out their side of things. See what makes them tick. It works out well, because everyone loves talking about themselves... Almost.”

#guardian oc #denver #hunter #arcstrider #long post #awoken #destiny #destiny the game #fireteam avalyn

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texasgrand317 · 3 years ago

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Harrah's Casino Buffet Council Bluffs Iowa

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A 32-inch cable TV and a golf or river view are featured in all rooms at Harrah’s Casino & Hotel Council Bluffs. In-room coffee and a hair dryer are provided for guest convenience.

Dining options at the Council Bluffs Harrah’s include fine dining on the 12th floor at 360 Steakhouse. A 24-hour diner and buffet restaurant are available. Stir Live and Loud nightclub is open Wednesday through Saturday with live weekend entertainment.

Fitness facilities and room service are offered at this hotel. Souvenir shops and a tour desk with ticket assistance are also available.

This hotel is a 6-minute drive from Harvey’s Recreation Complex, and a 10-minute drive from Lake Manawa. Shopping at Metro Crossing is just 8 km away.

Rooms: 4

Hotel Chain: Caesars Entertainment

When would you like to stay?

Facilities of Harrah's Casino & Hotel Council Bluffs

General

WiFi in all areas

Paid WiFi

Activities

Golf course (within 2 miles)

Food & Drink

Restaurant

Room service

Bar

Pool and Spa

Sauna

Fitness center

Front Desk Services

24-hour front desk

Currency exchange

Tour desk

Ticket service

ATM on site

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Concierge

Common Areas

Terrace

Entertainment & Family Services

Casino

Nightclub/DJ

Cleaning Services

Laundry

Dry cleaning

Business Facilities

Meeting/Banquet facilities

Shops

Gift shop

Shops (on site)

Miscellaneous

Non-smoking rooms

Elevator

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Smoke-free property

Air conditioning

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Designated smoking area

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Internet

WiFi is available in all areas and charges apply.

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Private parking is available on site (reservation is needed) and charges apply.

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These are general hotel policies for Harrah's Casino & Hotel Council Bluffs. As they may vary per room type, please also check the room conditions.

Check-in

16:00 - 20:00 hours

Check-out

07:30 - 11:00 hours

Cancellation / Prepayment

Cancellation and prepayment policies vary according to property type.

Children and Extra Beds

Up to two children or adults are charged USD 25 per night when using existing beds.

There is no capacity for extra beds in the room.

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The maximum number of total guests in a room is 6.

There is no capacity for cribs in the room.

Additional fees are not calculated automatically in the total cost and will have to be paid for separately during your stay.

Pets

Pets are not allowed.

Accepted credit cards

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Mastercard

Visa

Discover

Diners Club

American Express

The property reserves the right to pre-authorize credit cards prior to arrival.

Important Information

Upon check-in, photo identification and credit card are required. All special requests are subject to availability upon check-in. Special requests cannot be guaranteed and may incur additional charges. Please note that your credit card will be charged immediately by the hotel for the required deposit amount. If the charge is unsuccessful, the reservation will be canceled by the hotel.

Council Bluffs Harrah's Casino Hotel

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leoinjapan · 7 years ago

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7th-10th september / 7日～10日九月

me and my friend addie stayed overnight at a premier inn before flying together on a direct flight from london heathrow to tokyo haneda airport on the morning of the 6th. it was an 11 hour or so flight, during which i watched colossal, the darjeeling unlimited and lion, which were all very good, and a japanese film called survival family, which wasn’t so good. we also watched some short japanese shows, kumamon’s dice adventure and tabineko roman, which were very funny and cute respectively. i didn’t really get any sleep, and arrived at the airport at 7am the next day, since we went forward 8 hours in time.

7日

haneda airport was an amazing introduction! i managed to speak a little japanese with the security etc, but it was clear from my clumsiness in actual day-to-day japanese that i have a long way to go. we did a survey for some policemen and had a nice chat with them, and they gave us some clear folders as thanks.

in the airport there were tons of stores and restaurants. i got a gudetama keychain from one of the gacha machines. we had some cheap curry in a little fast food cafe, which was still pretty tasty.

unfortunately, to mail our suitcases to our flat by takkyubin we needed a japanese phone number, and neither of us had one yet. so we had to wait a while for our apartments office guy to let us borrow his number. when it came to mailing the suitcases, however, it was only 3500円 (£25) to mail both of my 20kg suitcases for next day delivery!

it cost about 750円 (£5.30) to travel by rail from haneda to nakano, where our apartments office was. we bought a passmo, one of the many cards you can use to quickly access the rail service. the trains are very quiet and you can access wifi. there are little tvs on the walls that play ads and let you know what the next few stops are. the stations are very clean too. we gave our deposit to our apartment office and were driven to our flat.

our flat is down a small street in kamiochiai, which is just on the cusp of shinjuku-ku and nakano-ku. my room is about 11x11m. there is a large closet, a double bed, a desk, a small bookcase, a tall mirror, a lamp, and opaque windows. there is also an AC that also functions as a humidifier and heater (i have it on all the time, i’m not used to the humidity yet!)

the kitchen, toilet and showers are all communal areas. all function pretty well. i am in love with the concept of water heaters that keep your water heated ready to make tea whenever. also the toilet is really cool, it has a heated seat and splashes water at you and dries you and plays loud noise and stuff.

that evening, me and addie went walking around our area to get accustomed to it. there are a lot of convenience stores and izakaya (pubs) nearby. we have a 7/11 by our place; even drawing money from an ATM was painless and kinda cute. we also had some tori karaage (fried chicken). the fried chicken was great but mine had a bit too much mayonnaise on, oops

8日

the next day we went to akihabara, which is the central for electronics stores and anime merch. i want to buy a monitor and ps4 to play while i’m here, but they weren’t too cheap here, even in secondhand stores. i think i will wait until my scholarship comes in!

we also came here to buy a simcard, but to get a contract sim you have to have registered your address at the municipal office, which we haven’t done yet.

akihabara is very bright and full of questionable content (young anime girls) but i very much enjoyed the energy of the place. perhaps my favourite store was yodobashi camera, which stretched for 7 floors and was full of electronics, games and anything you could want.

in the evening we went to halal ramen outa in shinjuku with our friends alice and helen, which makes halal and vegan ramen. it was extremely delicious and food just kept coming, including chicken on a stick with spicy sauce. unfortunately i couldn’t eat all of it because my stomach felt weird; don’t know if i wasn’t used to it or jet lag wanted to spite me.

9日

this day we decided to just rest. i slept for a long time, and then went grocery shopping at the big supermarket near our place, LIFE. during the past few days i have basically been stocking up on essentials. i cooked some garlic gyouza, which was great, and some pasta bolognaise, which tasted... weirdly sweet.

it is a very weird experience to have people looking at me weirdly cuz i am a foreigner, but also very humbling. it’s a great experience to be constantly learning more japanese as well.

10日

today me and addie went to central nakano. we went to a daiso store (everything 100円, like poundland but cheaper), and were impressed by the quality of goods there for such a small price!

we went into nakano broadway, which was a collection of shops and arcades. there were tons of crane games and gacha machines. i tried to win a big gudetama from a crane game but it seems i still suck at them in japanese.

there was anime and collectibles everywhere (which are just called hobby shops). luckily i don’t watch enough anime any more to by tempted by much of it!

that’s all today. the office guy gave me the password to a stronger wifi, so i’m happy! tomorrow we are going for our first orientation at waseda. i must study for my placement test on wednesday.

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jumpcr-blog1 · 7 years ago

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Character Chart

Character’s full name: Kit Aleksovich Yelchin Character’s nickname: to be determined Reason for nickname: to be determined Birth date: March 23rd, 1992

Physical Appearance

Age: 25 How old does he/she appear: 25 Weight: 148 lbs Height: 6′2″ Body build: slight, slender Shape of face: round Eye color: blue Glasses or contacts: none Skin tone: pale Distinguishing marks: tattoo over left shoulder blade. small, round scar on thumb-forefinger webbing on right hand. Predominant features: none that stand out Hair color: light brown / dark blond Hairstyle: very short, nearly to the scalp Voice: low, quiet Overall attractiveness: average, plain Physical disabilities: none Usual fashion of dress: something simple and nondescript, jeans & a plain t-shirt, a dark jacket, dark boots. usually also a beanie of some kind. Favorite outfit: a pair of pajama pants and a t-shirt. Jewelry or accessories: none

Personality

Good personality traits: resourceful, adaptable, adventurous, daring, hardworking, intuitive, organized, self-reliant Bad personality traits: abrasive, anxious, asocial, cynical, dishonest, impulsive. paranoid, possessive, reactionary Mood character is most often in: Kit spends most of his time being pretty convinced everything about his life is about to blow to pieces all over again, leaving him feeling paranoid. Years of doing his job and doing it well, however, has taught him how to hide this feeling. However, he would be very, very unsurprised (albeit crushed) if his secret got out. Sense of humor: dry humor, anti humor, sarcasm Character’s greatest joy in life: Kit finds it difficult to slow down and enjoy his life, but the time he spents with Luka ranks high on the list. He tries not to put too much weight on that, though, because after the loss of his parents he learned to detach a little from people. Outside of Luka, he takes a lot of joy in running, in smoking the most pretentious cigarettes in the world (lucky strikes, obviously), and winning. Character’s greatest fear: His greatest fear is being found out. This means a lot of things. Kit is afraid of his Big Secret(tm) being found out, he’s afraid his sexuality will be found out, he’s afraid his deep seeded inner fear will be found out. Basically, Kit’s biggest fear is every lie he’s ever told being paraded out in front of him, and at this point in his life there’s very little out of his mouth that isn’t a lie. Why?: Because he’s afraid of losing Luka, he’s afraid of losing the new place he discovered in society, he’s afraid of everything about him being nonredeemable. What single event would most throw this character’s life into complete turmoil?: being outed as a spy for the Rosteks. Character is most at ease when: he’s running. it doesn’t matter where, why, or from what. Most ill at ease when: he’s forced to sit still for too long. Enraged when: he sees people being cruel to animals, children, or Luka. Depressed or sad when: he is reminded of his parents, of his place in the world, or of the reality of the world around him. Priorities: His priorities differ depending on the day. There are days when his main priority is the Rosteks and what information he can give to them, then there are days when his main priority is the Lesyas and keeping the few friends he has made there safe. However, this is all just a convoluted way of saying that he is always his number one priority. Whatever path is the one of least resistance seems to be the one Kit takes. Life philosophy: he’s 25, he doesn’t have one. If granted one wish, it would be: freedom from the Rosteks v Lesyas war Why?: because then there would be no reason for him to be a spy, or for the lies, or for the secrets, and things would be a lot simpler. However, if given the opportunity to answer this question himself, he’d say “a real philly cheesesteak, because you cant get them in Moscow.” Character’s soft spot: Luka. his 3 legged cat, три (3). Is this soft spot obvious to others?: No. Well, maybe yes about три. Greatest strength: Kit is adaptable, above all else. He can learn to deal with any situation. His adaptability has led to him being a survivor. He doesn’t fear death. Greatest vulnerability or weakness: His lack of ability to relate or connect with people is a weakness. It assists some in his ability to be adaptable, because he doesn’t need anyone around to survive, but it also leaves him very isolated and lonely at times. Without those connections, his decisions become more irrational and reckless, as he doesn’t think about anything but himself. Biggest regret: his cowardice Minor regret: minor regrets are pointless, he’s done what he’s had to do to survive. Biggest accomplishment: He managed to move up the ranks and be trusted as a spy, he’s well paid, and he lives on his own. Minor accomplishment: not punching people in the face on a regular basis. Past failures he/she would be embarrassed to have people know about: Any time he had been outed as a spy. Character’s darkest secret: his true allegiance, or his desire to switch sides Does anyone else know?: the rest of the rosteks, no

Goals

Drives and motivations: survival, to be seen as “good” in the end, to make his parents proud Immediate goals: to provide the rosteks with relevant information on the lesyas, to earn money Long term goals: to survive, to eventually be able to flee the city and travel the world, possibly to have the guts to switch sides How the character plans to accomplish these goals: finding his voice, his balls, and waiting for the right time. How other characters will be affected: the rosteks will be betrayed, but ultimately fine without him. his lack of personal connections makes this a non-issue for him. however, he fears what it will do to Luka, or to Luka’s opinion of him.

Past

Hometown: Moscow, Russia Type of childhood: pleasant, loving, safe, protected Pets: none, mother was allergic to everything First memory: his first solid memory is driving in the car with his parents to see the lights of the city around the holidays, but he has brief glimpses of his father shaving, his mother pin curling her hair, the smell of pancakes in the morning, a feeling of peace. Most important childhood memory: his mother and father’s constant reassurance that everyone is absolutely, unequivocally equal. Why: because this forms the basis for his betrayal. he’s betraying himself, his parents, their teachings. sure, he’s betraying the lesyas and wants to betray the rosteks but before that he’s betraying himself and his past. Childhood hero: Zanjeer the Labrador Dream job: ice cream truck driver Education: left senior school at age 15 and never went back Religion: non-practicing orthodox Christianity Finances: middle class

Present

Current location: Moscow, Russia Currently living with: no one Pets: one cat Religion: agnostic Occupation: in order to maintain his cover story with the lesyas, he works as a cashier in a convenience store, however his true occupation is a Rostek spy. Finances: he appears to be lower class, but has a lot of money thanks to his true occupation as a Rostek spy

Family

Mother: Nadya Ivanova Yelchina Relationship with her: Kit loved his mother. She kept him safe, made him feel loved, and always did her best to raise him the right way. She was often his best friend and the first person he turned to when he had any kind of issue. Father: Vladimir Yelchin Relationship with him: the relationship here was a little more strained, probably because Kit and Vladimir were very similar. When he was very young, things were normal, but when he got a little older his own attitude started to come forward so they started to butt heads. Siblings: None Relationship with them: n/a Spouse: None Relationship with him/her: n/a Children: None Relationship with them: n/a Other important family members: Tatiana ‘Ana’ Aleksovna Yelchina, Marko Aleksovich Yelchin

Favorites

Color: blue Least favorite color: orange Music: pop, hip-hop Food: french fries Literature: anything george orwell Form of entertainment: movies Expressions: “shut the fuck up.” Mode of transportation: running Most prized possession: his dad’s zippo lighter and his mom’s prayer rope

Habits

Hobbies: card games, dice games, games of chance Plays a musical instrument? no Plays a sport? no, but would kill it at track and field How he/she would spend a rainy day: reading, watching movies, cooking, anything that he can do while also doing 2 other things Spending habits: he spends lightly and keeps all of his rostek earnings in a tin below his bed. Smokes: no, bad for the lungs Drinks: occasionally Other drugs: occasionally What does he/she do too much of?: lying, eating sweets What does he/she do too little of?: self care, relaxing, sleeping Extremely skilled at: lying, pick pocketing, running fast Extremely unskilled at: sitting still, anything that requires a great deal of fine motor skills, walking in a straight line, not falling down Nervous tics: lip biting, leg bouncing, nail picking, skin picking, hair pulling (which is why he keeps it so short) Usual body posture: just slightly slouched Mannerisms: he pinches the bridge of his nose a lot Peculiarities: he’s a very slow typer, he still only hunts and pecks with one finger.

Traits

Optimist or pessimist? realist Introvert or extrovert? introvert Daredevil or cautious? daredevil Logical or emotional? both, depending Disorderly and messy or methodical and neat? methodical and neat Prefers working or relaxing? always has to be moving Confident or unsure of himself/herself? appears confident Animal lover? yes

Self-Perception

How he/she feels about himself/herself: he’s not a fan of himself. One word the character would use to describe self: liar One paragraph description of how the character would describe self: “I’m, like, you know. I’m just a guy. Not a particularly good guy. I mean, okay, I guess I’m kind of a bad guy. I lie a lot. I don’t regularly hurt people that I like but when the truth comes out they might be hurt beyond repair. I’m not worth much, honestly, I’m just here to survive.” What does the character consider his/her best personality trait? his ability to survive What does the character consider his/her worst personality trait? his cowardice What does the character consider his/her best physical characteristic? blue eyes What does the character consider his/her worst physical characteristic? too skinny How does the character think others perceive him/her: quiet, controlled, even tempered What would the character most like to change about himself/herself: he’d want to be brave

Relationships With Others

Opinion of other people in general: he tries to keep away from other people, but he generally sees everyone as just doing what they have to do to survive Does the character hide his/her true opinions and emotions from others? yes Person character most hates: tbd Best friend(s): luka, tbd Love interest(s): Luka Person character goes to for advice: tbd Person character feels responsible for or takes care of: tbd Person character feels shy or awkward around: tbd Person character openly admires: no one Person character secretly admires: Luka Most important person in character’s life before story starts: Luka After story starts: Luka?? tbd

#kitastrophe #character development

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melonmaru · 7 years ago

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Studio 6 - Statements

Contextual Statement

Most of the board games are designed for long-term usage. They can be used multiple times after bought. Also, there are many different genres and rules to fit them in different time, place and mood. This project, Ponto, tried a different way to approach the usage. It is not a one-off game but can be enjoyed lightly like eating a snack. And, it does not stay as a toy, and percolated through to the public and their daily life to extend the area of ‘play’. The meaning of ‘extend the area of ‘play’ is increasing the popularity of the board game, so people may have less interest in board games can enjoy the games. The McDonald’s Monopoly event is a good example. The Monopoly is called as a family board game, but the actual use of the game is set on groups of people who are interested in it. However, using board games in the marketing increases the sale. Moreover, the Monopoly event increases the public interest of board game and that affects on people’s diet. So, the Monopoly event extends the popularity of the board game to the public. Of course, McDonald has a higher awareness because of its name value. So, the influence of the popularity is strong compared to my project. It is one of the reasons that I choose the vending machine as the medium to communicate with the public. It is popular, convenience and easy to maintain compared to a shop and it helps to increase the public contact. Also, the vending machines coincide to the purpose of the project because the items selling in vending machines are mostly the daily essentials and foods such as snacks and beverages.

Japan has about 5.52 million vending machines in the country. They sell snacks and beverages as New Zealand Vending machines do. However, those 1.52 million vending machines are not filled with the food and beverages only, but they are selling umbrellas, books, neckties and rice and they also sell insurances through the vending machines either. When the number and types of vending machines increase, people do not need to face each other to buy a thing. Then, the communication between people decreases and it can cause the reduction of the sociality and lose the connection between communities. There is a problem already in the communications in the physical community. The increase of digital-based social media and the wide use of smartphone caused the social communication lean to the digital medium. The developed technology linked people who are not in the same place, but it disconnected the communication between people just next to us. So, Ponto tried to rebuild the physical community by using the existing technique, the board game.

The purpose of the project is to build a physical community and the place, playtime and the targets are important because the place will group the people and people will be linked by sharing the each other’s time. So, I could not say that my project is for anyone in any place. Because it is too broad and I needed a threshold point to reduce the production process and time. As the threshold, I decided the train passengers as the target user. The reasons are; First, the number of the trains station and the route of train rail is fixed and the travel time is steady compared to other transports and they helped me a lot to set the average play time. Second, the number of passengers that a train can carry at once is higher than other transports. The Higher number of passengers means there is a higher potential for the usage. In fact, the number of train passengers was increased. From the article of Our Auckland published on 6 April said that 19 million passengers made trips for the year to date by train and it is an annual increase of 19.4 percent. (OurAuckland, 2017) This statistical data shows the number of target users will be increased and the potential of the usage even higher than now.

The play time is also affected from the train passengers. A report of ‘The use of travel time by rail passengers in Great Britain’ said that train passengers are spending their travel times on;

· sleeping/snoozing;

· reading for leisure;

· working/studying (reading/writing/typing/thinking);

· talking to other passengers;

· window gazing/people watching;

· listening to music/radio;

· text messages/phone calls - work;

· text messages/phone calls - personal;

· eating/drinking;

· entertaining children;

· playing games (electronic or otherwise);

· being bored;

· being anxious about the journey (e.g. delays or where to get off);

· planning onward or return journey; and

· other.

The most important point on above list is the ‘window gazing and people watching’. In the report, the window gazing rated higher in people who journey of less than 15 minutes duration and they suggested that is a possible travel duration threshold below for doing something else. So, the play time of each game is less than 15 minutes because people may not get interested in anything else if they have something to do, and the threshold of the spare time is 15 minutes as the report.

Now a day, smartphones are using widely for killing time and my project may not be able to bring a big change to the world. However, I believe Ponto can build a different type of community compare to the online community. And the board game is not an electric and electronics fixed technology, so the project tries to escape from the ‘electronics jail’. Ponto has a vending machine to connect the board games and users, an Arduino is used in the vending machine and I coded the Arduino. However, the key item of this project is the board game. So, analysing the board game component and finding methods of building a community using a board game was the main research area. Extension of these, the emotions related to the components of the board game was very interesting and it will be a good future research area.

Conceptual Statement

Ponto is a socially engaging board game to support users to build a physical community and it can be bought from a vending machine. The game is constituted of 3 different component. Each package contains one component of the game, not a whole game, so the user must find the other user who has a package of another component. It is a very inconvenience process. However, it is needed process because the purpose of the game is rebuilding a physical community. And this process will pursuit the new way of the community by meet, talk and play the game with others.

Each package contains one of dices, cards or tokens and up to 7 different games can be built by the pairing the packages. There is a short storyline to increase the relation between packages. The storyline is;

There are 3 little aliens living in a vending machine, and they are named as Rockie, Scizzy and Palate. Rockie loves cookies, Scizzy loves fizzy drinks and palate loves chocolates. When they fight, Rockie wins to Sizzy, but he cannot win to Palate. Scizzy always loses to Rockie, but always win to Palate.

These characters came out from Rock-Paper-Scissors game. The story affects to the rules of the games.

The main target is the train passengers but it can be anyone who can access to the vending machine. The game is designed for playing during the travel time so it can be used as a travel game too.

A board game is a basic format of the social game that makes people face to each other, talk and enjoy. It is different to the online which has anonymity. So, their words, acts and emotion of a person is delivered to the opponent directly. It makes people take care of themselves and it helps to develop their sociality. While playing this board game, people in different religions, cultures, ages, genders group up with one common factor, ‘play’. And it can be a new culture and new community can be built within this new fresh culture.

Ponto in technical side tried to focus on breaking down the board game to its components and reflected each property of them.

Dice: Emotions delivered from rolling a dice such as tension, hope and so on.

Card: inference and prediction skills to win the game.

Token: A technique to get the advantage of the game.

There are only 3 components now, but the extension is possible and same components can be redesigned to a different rule. Now, only 3 games are ready to play, and all others are still under development. Each package of Ponto is the only half of a board game. It is nearly impossible to play with one package, and if it is possible to play with one package, players cannot enjoy much as the set. And, the game attaches the user to the community since the user starts looking for other users.

The main item of the project is the board game, but the vending machine is also iconic in this project. It is a bridge between the users and the board games because they only can get the games from the vending machine. The vending machine also reflects the ‘fast, easy and convenience’. The time taken on designing board games took so long, so I was planned to skip the vending machine production. However, the board game became more complex, so it stayed as a concept with few demos. Then, I built the vending machine to reflect that the start point of the project is the vending machine.

I am thinking of 2 different future developments. One uses existing Social Networking Services to find the opponents and they will build a new fused community of the digital and real world. It will extend the physical community to the digital world and also works on the opposite way. So, the advantage of both types of the community will be reflected in one combined community. The other method is using the board game as a new advertisement medium. Like the McDonald’s Monopoly event, uses their own story with own models and build small board games and sell them in the real vending machine or use as a promotional material for the higher benefit. Or, combine the real food as board game components or use the package of the item as a board game, so it can build a community of ‘eat, enjoy and share’.

I learnt a really important point from this project. The idea of the initial project was a consumable board game, but it is developed to a social development tool now. And it also reflects the problems and became provided a solution. I did not think about this at the beginning, but it is developed well over the researches and developments. This project tells me how the research and developments are important.

References

OurAuckland. (2017). Record numbers of passengers using trains. [online] Available at: http://ourauckland.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/articles/news/2017/04/record-numbers-of-passengers-using-trains/.

Lyons, G., Jain, J. and Holley, D. (n.d.) The use of travel time by rail passengers in Great Britain. Under revision for publication in Transportation Research A: Policy and Practice.

#pontowk13 #pontowk12 #statements

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travel-blog-incitysearch · 3 years ago

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Greek cuisine - what dishes are worth trying?

The impression of the country would not be complete without trying the national cuisine in local establishments during the trip, especially when it comes to Greece. Greeks love, and most importantly, know how to cook, turning the national Greek dishes into a work of art.

Features of national cuisine

The national dishes of Greek cuisine are characterized by a multifaceted game of flavors and benefits. Many nutritionists for weight normalization recommend following the Mediterranean diet based on the principles of Greek cuisine. The benefits of the national cuisine of Greece are due to simple but important factors: - The use of healthy products - fresh vegetables, herbs, cheeses of their own making, seafood, fruits; - Greeks do not abuse fast food; - the most popular and traditional product is olive oil, which is added to many national dishes and its benefits have been known for thousands of years; - national dishes are seasoned with lemon juice instead of salt, citrus fruits are added to main dishes (meat and fish), in marinades, desserts; - Greeks often consume a lot of dairy products: yogurt, goat's milk, feta and bryndza. The main feature of the national cuisine is natural, organic products, most are grown and produced in the country. It's interesting! The national Greek cuisine is a certain lifestyle. According to statistics, the Greeks are less likely to suffer from heart disease, cancer and obesity. The first book on Greek food culture was written in 330 BC.

First courses

First courses are not popular in the national cuisine, as a rule, soups, purees of vegetables are cooked. Still, in Greece you must try soups as well: - "Fasolada" is a traditional bean soup; - "Fakes, a lentil soup to which is accompanied by salted fish, cheese (mostly bryndza), olives and red onions. These soups are offered in hot weather. In the winter, more filling and hearty soups appear on restaurant menus: - "Avgolemono," a rice grits soup with chicken broth with whipped egg and lemon juice; - "Vrasto" - the national beef soup.

Greek appetizers

Traditionally, every meal begins with appetizers that stimulate the appetite. They are served in plates of small diameter. Snack dishes that Greeks love themselves and recommend tourists to try: - Dolmadakia, the equivalent of stuffed cabbage rolls. - "Dzadziki" is both an appetizer and a sauce made from yogurt, fresh cucumbers, olive oil, and fragrant garlic; - "Dolmadakya" - analog of traditional stuffed cabbage rolls and dolma, an appetizer of rice, minced meat wrapped in grape leaves; - "Kalamarakya" - calamari fried until crispy; - "Taramasalata" - a national dish of smoked cod roe, olives, herbs, lemon and vegetable oil; - "Tirokafteri" - traditional soft cheese appetizer and peppers (spicy varieties).

Salads

There are two types of salads in the national cuisine of Greece: - Melidzanosalata Greek Salad. - hot - with roasted vegetables; - Cold - with fresh vegetables. - Among the hot salads, the following are popular. - "Brocola" - a traditional broccoli dish. - "Pandzari" - beet salad. - "Melidzanosalata" - a mixture of roasted eggplant, vegetable oil, spices, lemon and fragrant garlic. Sometimes yogurt, tomatoes, and seasoned green onions are added to the dish. Nutritionists call this dish flawless in terms of the principles of proper nutrition, and gourmands rightly consider this combination of products to be perfect in taste. Horiatiki or rustic salad Greek salad National cold salads include fresh vegetables, mixtures of spices, a variety of cheeses, olive oil and lemon juice. They are traditionally served with wine or grape vinegar. - "Hortu" is a traditional dandelion dish, the main ingredient being radicchio. - "Horiatiki" or rustic salad - in our parts the dish is better known as "Greek salad." It includes tomatoes, cucumbers, sweet peppers, onions, olives, aromatic spices and olive oil, supplemented with feta cheese. You will surely be interested to try the Greek salad in its homeland. - "Lahano" - a salad of white cabbage, carrots, root and leaves of celery, some housewives complement the salad with sweet peppers. - "Dacos." - Much of the country's food culture has been influenced by Italian cuisine. This influence is reflected in the use of products common in the territory of Italy, for example, rucolla. In some regions of Greece, they offer a salad made with rucolla leaves, called "Roca". A popular recipe is sun-dried tomatoes, rucolla, and parmigiano-reggiano cheese. In Crete, they love the traditional salad "Dakos" made of special, large croutons, they are soaked a little, tomatoes are placed on top, finely diced crumbled feta cheese. The mixture is dressed with olive oil mixed with oregano. Sometimes dacos breadcrumbs are substituted with small dacchia breadcrumbs. Main dishes of Greece Traditional Greek main dishes are made from meat, fish and seafood. There's plenty to choose from and try.

Meat dishes

Brisoles - meat on the bone The culture of the national Greek cuisine is based on one fundamental rule: there's no need to overcomplicate things. A good dish, according to the Greeks, is prepared as quickly and easily as possible, that's why they prefer to bake the meat in any convenient way. Meat is eaten in different ways, but if you are traveling in the mountainous regions, it is worth trying roasted game or boar meat. Traditional Greek meat dishes: - "Brisoles" - juicy, flavorful meat on the bone; - "Souvlaki" - compact kebabs; - "Kondosouvli" - the equivalent of our traditional kebab; - "Paidakya" - traditional baked ribs (most often lamb); - "Gyros" - a flatbread dish similar to döner kebab or shawarma, but different in that it necessarily includes fries. - "Kokorezi. Real gourmands will surely want to try this dish, because how appetizing it sounds: the internal organs of lamb, wrapped in guts, and baked in the oven. What to try in Greece for lovers of European cuisine? - Bifteki - chopped cutlets of different diameters - "Bifteki" - the usual chopped cutlets of different diameters, seasoned with aromatic herbs, cheese, various vegetables. The national traditions of Greek cuisine are based on the culture of many peoples, for many decades they were formed under the influence of the Turkish yoke: - "Sudzukakia" - traditional cutlets thickly seasoned with spices; - "Kebabs" - a masterful dish prepared in the northern regions, where the Turkish diaspora has settled. National Greek dishes worth tasting in the mountainous part of the country First of all, this category includes homemade meat or game in clay pots with vegetables. The most common variant of the name is "Kleftico." Arni lemonato - lamb under a lemon marinade Treats of national Greek cuisine that you must try: - "Kuneli" - rabbit stew with vegetables; - "Arni lemonato" - lamb cooked under a lemon marinade; - "Coconisto" - beef under a tomato marinade; - "Moussaka" - a popular traditional dish of the Balkans. It is prepared from eggplants, minced meat, tomatoes, potatoes, cheese, onions, then baked with Béchamel sauce and cheese; - "Pastizio" - layered casserole of pasta, minced meat, traditional white marinade. The meat is garnished with rice and vegetables.

Dishes of fish

Every tourist when asked what to try in Greece from the food, unequivocally answer - fish and, of course, seafood. Native Greeks treat seafood with honor, because the state is located on the coast of the sea. Grilled fish Big fish is grilled on coals or grilled, seasoned with vegetable oil and lemon juice. Smaller fish such as sea tongue, mullet, sultana are fried. Cod, stingray, swordfish, shark (small, Mediterranean) are also fried most often. Certain fish are used exclusively in the process of cooking ukha. The fish is served separately with a marinade of vegetable oil and lemon and the broth is served separately. Lake varieties of fish - trout, sturgeon or salmon - are better tasted in the central regions or in Macedonia. Important: The traditional approach to cooking - impeccable freshness of products. The price is determined by the place of catch - local fish is more expensive than imported. Fish menus in restaurants are more expensive than meat menus. Seafood is presented in a separate section of the menu. Popular dishes: Octopus: baked or boiled; Squids: traditional baked - "Calamaria Tiganita", fried with cheese filling - "Calamaria Yemista me Tiri"; cuttlefish stewed with spinach leaves; shrimp: fried or stewed in a tomato and cheese marinade; Traditional mussels steamed or in a tomato and cheese marinade. Useful information! The crowning national dish in Greek cuisine is lobster with pasta - "Macaronada me Astako". The seafood of the sea is given special attention and is used to prepare culinary masterpieces that will easily captivate the discerning gourmet. If you want to try something special, check out the shrimp dish cooked in tomato sauce and seasoned with feta cheese, or the octopus dish in sweet wine seasoned with spices.

Desserts

The traditional sweet dishes of Greek cuisine are, above all, a Turkish heritage. By the way, the tradition of drinking coffee cooked in a turk also remains from the Ottoman Empire. While vacationing on the Mediterranean coast, be sure to delight yourself with original desserts: - "Lukumades" - balls made of dough, flavored with spices, sprinkled with honey, sprinkled with powdered sugar; - "Baklava" - traditional cake filled with fruit syrup, chopped nuts, the dessert is usually made with 33 layers (a symbol of Christ's age); - "Curabiedes" - cookies made of shortbread dough and almonds; - "Rizogalo" - a pudding of rice, dried fruit, nuts, flavored with cinnamon; - "Halvas" - halva made with semolina.

Greek Sauces

If you're researching Greek dishes to try while traveling, be sure to pay attention to sauces. Greeks are great at them and make them to almost every dish. Features traditional Greek sauces: - only natural ingredients; - no complicated recipes; - maximum benefits. The main principle of a proper sauce is that it should delicately accentuate the flavor and aroma of the main dish. Sauce ingredients should be as versatile as possible and combine with fish, seafood, meat and vegetables. The most common ingredients used in the preparation process are: - natural yogurt; - vegetable (olive) oil; - lemon juice; - special, Greek garlic. Avgolemono" is a classic sauce. It is served with main dishes and salads, used in cooking soups. It takes just a few minutes to prepare - a mixture of eggs and lemon juice is diluted with broth. The proportions are chosen individually, depending on the desired thickness of the sauce. The marinade gives the main dish a slight sourness. Cooking secret! Do not bring marinade to the boil, because protein will curdle. For seafood they make a marinade of mustard, vegetable oil, lemon juice and a mixture of dried herbs. In some regions they add honey to this mixture, which gives the dish a soft, uniform texture. For fish, and as a salad dressing, they prepare a sauce with just two components - lemon juice and olive oil. To the main dishes are served scorchali sauce, made from fragrant garlic, almonds and vegetable oil. Sometimes bread crumbs and finely chopped potatoes are added to the sauce. This makes a hearty appetizer. Cooking secret! To smooth out the pungent taste of the garlic, it is baked beforehand. The original sauce "Fava" - it is prepared from mashed beans or lentils, dressed with olive oil, lemon juice, natural yogurt and greens (usually parsley).

Products of national production

Greek cheese deserves a special mention. The country produces more than 60 varieties of cheese, each of which is served as an appetizer or main course and used to prepare other dishes. During your stay in Greece, we recommend trying the following cheeses: - "Feta" - white cheese, quite dense in consistency, made from sheep's milk (less often from goat's milk). - "Graviera" - a cheese with a sweet taste, firm consistency, made from sheep's milk. - "Manuri" - sheep cheese, has a soft, delicate consistency, has a high caloric value. - "Kasseri" - cheese made from a mixture of sheep and goat milk, white in color with a slight yellowish hue. - "Kefalotiri" - a savory cheese with a salty flavor and a firm, porous structure. Another traditional product is olive oil. Here it is sold in every grocery store. Sometimes you can taste the product before you buy it. Presented oil in pure form or with the addition of spices, aromatic herbs.

National drinks

Ouzo The most famous alcoholic Greek drink is ouzo. It is the first thing you should try. Ouzo is made by distilling alcohol with the addition of anise, bouquet of spices (most often cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves). There are many producers in Greece, that is why the composition and the percentage of alcohol content vary from 20% to 40%. Ouzo is consumed with fish and seafood dishes and served in tall, narrow glasses. In grocery stores the drink is sold in bottles of different sizes, the minimum cost - 3 euros. Tsipuro and Raki Tsipuro and raki are alcoholic beverages with an alcohol content between 37% and 47%, similar to moonshine. The main difference between them is the presence of anise - tsipuro has it, raki has no spice. Tsipuro is served chilled, in a carafe with a high, narrow neck. You drink it in small glasses, in one gulp. As a rule, Tsipouro is ordered by Greeks of the older generation, while the younger generation prefers other drinks. The cost of one bottle varies from 3 to 4 euros. Rakomelo drink. This is an alcoholic beverage, which consists of two components - honey and crayfish (not the ones found in the river, but the one described above). Sometimes cinnamon and cloves are added. The drink is most often prepared in the cold season, because you need to drink it hot. Some Greeks use rakomelo as a medicine for colds. You can buy rakomelo in any supermarket, but it is better to make the drink yourself - buy crayfish and honey. The process takes a few minutes, and the taste is much better than the store product. Pour the crayfish in a turkey, heat it, add honey to taste, and take it off the fire before it boils. The drink is ready, now you can taste it! Mastic This liqueur is made in Greece. Its distinctive feature is the presence of mastic, a resin extracted from an evergreen shrub. Mastic in Greece is used for the preparation of many dishes, in cosmetology. The liquor is served as an aperitif and after meals for better digestion. The taste of the mastic is original and memorable - sweet with a slight fruity-pine flavor. The cost of one bottle is about 10 euros. Coffee The most popular drink in Greece is coffee. It seems that people drink it all the time - hot, cold, with and without crema, with milk or cream, with the addition of various spices. If a person orders tea instead of coffee, the Greeks are bound to think that he has a health problem. If you want to fully understand what national Greek dishes are like, try them not in the hotel, and in local tavernas and restaurants. This is the only way to get a taste of the real Greece. Read the full article

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