It's late in the season, but finally, it seems many are starting to find love and pair off for spring. One of the most unlikely couplings spotted these past few nights is one half the Ale Duo and a certain beautiful flame haired Norse lady, sharing conversation and drinks with one another.
Weird Wedding Traditions
The grand wedding that took place at the beginning of this month had some interesting build up prior to the event. Several nights were spent, in the Inn, talking about the upcoming nuptials. There was talk of wandering brale stations, oddly outfitted drunks (pastel colored suits with matching hats and canes?), and the bride was seen asking Mr. Omelette if he would strip… at the wedding! This is wedding planning RhyDin style!
A New Little Lovely
That's right, yet another pretty single elf has been seen cavorting about, making things harder on the rest of us single gals! Already bouncy and blonde has been seen chatting it up with too tall and too handsome Mismatched and the recently transformed Cabana Boy. She's even been seen leaving the inn with these guys. Make up your mind Bouncy, you can't have both!
The Birdie And The Tender
A certain Piping Plover has been seen being friendly and chatting it up with a relatively new and very tall tender at the Red Dragon Inn. Rumor has it he even crafted some shelves for her all by himself. A gesture of friendship, or is it something more?
Dueling Flop
Tower of Earth keeper challenged FireStar holder for his Opal in the Outback on a whim one Monday night. There was suspicion that one of the two challenge duels might have been thrown by the Tower keeper because even though FireStar holder is good the keeper isn't known to be that bad with his fists. The question is, why would he try and throw such a challenge? FireStar's holder certainly doesn't need the ego boost by any means!
Wedding Crasher
The grave of this month's blushing bride's ex-lover was mysteriously found totally missing just a week before the wedding! Was there some after-life wedding crashing being planned or was this just some cruel trick by someone who isn't a fan of Miss RhyDin and her captain groom?
True Blue
Blue One and Blue Too (as they call each other based on their hair color) were chatting it all up friendly like in the Arena several times this month. Blue One (who holds a very prominent position in the Arena) wanted to know if Blue Too (our friendly neighborhood Empress) had divorce plans ready before her wedding to her darling pirate. Blue One explained that this would leave her available to be his third wife down the road! Blue Too didn't seem too pleased at being third and spent some time using her wit and charm (read: hott body) to convince Blue One that maybe she should be his second wife instead. I wonder if her poor hubby-to-be knows she's keeping her options open like this.
Buns a' Cookin?
Sources say that there were accusations of pregnancies flying around the inn the other night! Suspects are narrowed down to the Duchess, one lovely green haired elf, the Empress, or the Empress' new Pirate hubby who may have gotten into entirely too much water. Personally, this reporter thinks the most likely culprit of the pregnancy is the Empress given her history! Good luck with the next seven!
Enchanted
For quite a few nights now the Duchy has been seen chatting it up with the enigmatic Crow, seemingly taken with him, his ribbons, and what can only be seen as poetic words. We would have thought the Moonwhite haired tender would be angry at this, but if anything she seems happy about it! Talk about an open relationship.
Drunken Royalty
The Duchess and the Empress were seen getting royally smashed together at the Inn early in June. Was this some sort of pre-bachelorette party for the soon-to-be wed Empress? Either way, the girls were filled with talk about sex (Duchy misses it a lot), naked men, and crotchless garments. A third, piping hott member of their little crowd was monitoring the girls and making sure they didn't get too out of hand. She was later seen leading Duchy away into the Great Hall; a real opportunist, huh?
Little Grapes
A certain elder Ravenlock was seen fleeing the inn completely naked the other night. Why? Sources say they don't know. He looked to be in a hurry though. Could it have been because of a secret rendezvous? Speculation says it's more than likely, so he better watch it before he suffers the wrath of Scathach!
Forming A Band Of A Different Kind
The 'Bumbling Musician' and the 'Tapping Musician' were seen at the inn exchanging a heated kiss. Could this be the beginnings of a couple or band about to make some beautiful music together? Who knows!
A Bit Of A Change
A certain pretty boy DeAuster was spotted recently sporting a new perfect and perky bosom. This leads some of us to wonder what the real cause of this 'man shortage' is. Could it be that many of the men are transforming into women? But what's the cause? Ingesting stew? Water? Air pollution? We also wonder why our pretty DeAuster wants to make such a drastic change.
Ten Questions with Ryo Tosaga!
By ELLY~
While out and about searching for a great scoop to bring to you, my beloved readers, I stumbled upon a rather interesting man by the name of Ryo Tosaga. He's not like most other guys in RhyDin, not tall or dark haired or immediately dashing, but I was so intrigued I had to interview him!
Elly: Is your hair naturally lavender or did you dye it~?
Ryo: It's natural.
Elly: It's really pretty~!
Ryo: Thanks.
Elly: What do you do for a living~?
Ryo: Nothing, really. I've never been one for jobs, but Ajax, my centaur friend, is trying to get me to become his little girl's babysitter. He has to talk to his mates about it first before he can dump her on me though.
Elly: Children are okay if they're well behaved, but I don't like them much~ They drip~ What's in your bag~?
Ryo: Not telling. It's a present for my mate and I don't want to tell anyone before I give it to him. It'll spoil the surprise, yanno?
Elly: Ooooo~! That's so sweet~! Who's your mate~?
Ryo: His name's Fayloan Zaramir.
Elly: I don't know him~ But he's got a really really neat name~! What's your favorite color~?
Ryo: Either dark purple or black. I haven't decided between the two.
Elly: Purple's pretty~! Black is kind of boring though, don't you think~? Is black even considered a color~?
Ryo Tosaga: It can be boring, yes. And yes, it is. It's all the colors put together, if I remember right.
Elly: I thought that was white~?
Ryo: No, white's the absence of color.
Elly: Oooooh~! That makes sense, wow, you're smart too~! Did you ever go to a special fancy school or something~?
Ryo: No, I'm just old. You pick up facts like that here and there and they stick sometimes.
Elly: How old are you~?
Ryo: Nine hundred and fifty-seven.
Elly: Oh wow~!! You're about twice as old as I am~! Have you kept the same body for that many years or changed it every now and then~?
Ryo: I've tweaked it over the years, but I've basically kept it the same other than that.
Elly: I've changed my body~! I like the one I have now, it's perfect~! Girls get jealous though, they're so mean~ I have a couple products at my atelier that temporarily change eye and hair color if you ever need change~
Ryo: Thanks, Elly. I'm fine with what I have now, but I might take some of those to scare some of my friends.
Elly: That's so mean~ So who are your best friends here~?
Ryo: Hn.. Ty's definitely got to be my best friend. Other than him, there's Shadow, Cal, and Ariana. Yeah, those four are my best friends.
Elly: I know Tyranacus~! Uh~ How many questions have I asked so far~?
Ryo: I wasn't counting.
Elly: I lost count~ Oh well~ One last question~! So what's your favorite food~?
Ryo: Udon.
Elly: What's udon~?
Ryo: Japanese noodles served in broth.
Elly: Mmmm~! That's sounds so good~ You'll have to bring some to my atelier sometime~! Only thing I can really cook is pumpkin pie~
There's an old joke that goes, "How does a woman get a man in RhyDin?" The answer: "She walks into a room." But we all know that there is far more to having a good relationship than walking into a room and meeting someone. This column is about making better relationships.
Dear Gav, it's hard to believe but… I think my husband has a mistress… and she's the sea. How can I fight that? What can I do?
Signed — Fighting against the tide
DearFighting, this has become a far more frequent problem in RhyDin since there's been an influx of pirates, pirate-types, would-be pirates, and general seafarers entering the city limits. I've found you can take the man out of the sea, but you can never take the sea out of the man. Now, what do I mean by that? I haven't the foggiest. I fear you are in for a stormy marriage. Waves of adversity will wash over you. You'll be drowning in your sorrows while he's on his ocean cruise, enjoying rum to the gills and runs to the Jills in every port. There's only one remedy that I can think of. A whale harpoon properly launched up his posterior has proven effective in keeping a husband from his mistress. Good luck… and good aim!
Dear Gav, it's hard to believe but… my girlfriend's a slut. She's a typical RhyDin whore. Ever since she came here she's been flirting and sleeping with every guy she meets in the Inn. I'm getting really tired of this. What can I do?
Signed — Who's With My Girlfriend Tonight
Dear Who's, Oh! So THAT'S your girlfriend!! Opps. I mean, THAT'S so not right. Let me guess. She's thin, black hair, only 5' tall? No, wait! Don't tell me. I don't want to know. Does she happen to have those really sexy hazel-green eyes that just… Wait! I'm sorry! Where was I? Oh yes, I was going to ask what's so damn hard to believe about THAT! This is Ryh'Din! Get over it! What can you do? I'd suggest penciling your girlfriend into your calendar when she has the next night free.
I'll be brief this month and apologize for no pictures to go with the recipes. Call it, equipment malfunction and leave it at that. These are good recipes worth trying. Someone once asked me about good 'ol southern cooking and well, I hope this Gumbo is south enough. The brownies, while entitled Turtle brownies, are not exactly MY turtle brownies. Sorry, I don't give that one away. However, I've been told that these are almost as good.
Enjoy!
Chicken and Sausage Gumbo
Ingredients:
1/3 C. Flour
1/3 C. Vegetable oil
1 large onion chopped
½ C. chopped green pepper
4 cloves garlic, minced (mild, more to taste)
½ tsp. Ground black pepper (mild, more to taste)
¼ tsp. Ground red pepper (mild, more to taste)
½ tsp. Ground white pepper (mild, more to taste)
4 cups hot water
1 pound skinless boneless chicken thighs cut into bite size
12 oz. Smoked or Andouille Sausage cut into bite sized chunks.
Directions:
1. In a heavy 4 quart pan, stir together the flour and oil until smooth. Cook over Medium high heat for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium. Cook and stir constantly about 15 minutes more or until a dark, reddish brown roux is formed.
2. Stir in the onion, green pepper, garlic, black, red and white peppers. Cook and stir over medium heat for 3-5 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
3. Gradually stir the hot water into the vegetable mixture. Stir in chicken and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 40 minutes.
4. Stir in sausage. Cover and simmer about 20 minutes or more. Skim off as much fatty oil from the top as possible. To serve, Spoon soup over hot cooked rice. Serves 6.
Note: recipe is a mild version.
Turtle Brownies
Ingredients:
1 (14 ounce) package individually wrapped caramels
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1 (18.25 ounce) package German chocolate cake mix
3/4 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped pecans
Cooking Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease one 9x13 inch baking dish.
2. Melt caramels and 1/3 cup of the evaporated milk over very low heat, stirring occasionally until smooth.
3. Combine cake mix, melted butter, the remaining 1/3 cup evaporated milk, vanilla and nuts. Mix well and spread 1/2 of the batter into the prepared pan.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 8 minutes.
5. Sprinkle the chocolate chips evenly over the partially cooked brownies. Pour the melted caramel mixture over the top and with a teaspoon drop the remaining 1/2 of the batter evenly over the top.
6. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 20 minutes. Let brownies cool in pan then cut into bars.
