I couldn't find good recipes with it, and I don't understand how to eat or use it properly, how to make it delicious. I don't want pancakes or cookies, I'm looking for a quick preparation.
I made it at home, so I have plenty of it at a low cost, and I want to fulfill my protein needs with it.
It's edible and in good condition if I don't do anything else with it after preparing it (similar to when I make homemade tofu). I just put it directly in the fridge/freezer after sealing it, and later maybe dip it in cornstarch, pan-fry it, pour sauce over it, let it crisp up, and it's ready. Is this a good way to use it? Will it taste good this way? Just like with tofu.
If you have any links, recipes, videos, or tactics related to this, I would be really happy to receive them, as well as tips on how to make it delicious and good. Thank you!
By the way, I LOVE Japanese food and culture. It's incredible what they have come up with and how good it is, not only in terms of food but in everything. I adore soy sauce and all these dishes, rice, they feel a thousand times better than Western food to me. I just find it overwhelming to use so many dishes every time. I don't understand how much time it takes for you to wash and set the table with a thousand different dishes when you serve various foods. But I love everything else, it looks incredibly beautiful when served, although it doesn't seem quick. :) (The matcha ceremonies are also incredibly cool! Although I'm not sure if they are directly related to Japanese culture, but anyway.)
​
Thanks all!

Hello everyone,
As you may know, Tears of the Kingdom added an in-game cookbook that you can access by selecting "check recipe" under any item in the food tab. There are a few guides for completing the cookbook available (I referenced IGN's for a few recipes), but a complete image reference doesn't appear to exist yet.
I've decided to compile one, available here.
Some notes:

• The recipes are (mostly) minimal, with all ingredients shown being necessary.
  • Exceptions: copious recipes only require 4 unique ingredients, and duplicate items are never necessary.
• An easy way to roast multiple items at once is to drop them in an area with unbearable heat. The items will ignite on their own and you can pick them up right after they finish cooking.

Thanks for reading! Feel free to modify/distribute the images however you please.

Last Wish

Chattering Bone - Kinetic Pulse Rifle
Source: Last Wish Raid

• Craftable: Yes
• Intrinsics: Lightweight Frame
• Impact: 27
• Range: 33
• Stability: 52
• Handling: 70
• Reload Speed: 63
• Aim Assistance: 71
• Zoom: 17
• Airborne Effectiveness: 10
• Rounds Per Minute: 450
• Mag size: 33
• Recoil Direction: 57

Curated Roll: Corkscrew Rifling / Light Mag / Kill Clip / High-Impact Reserves
Recommended PvE Perks: - Sights: Arrowhead Brake, Smallbore - Magazine: Appended Mag, Tactical Mag, Flared Magwell - Perk 1: Rapid Hit, Kill Clip - Perk 2: Kinetic Tremors, Focused Fury - Masterwork: Reload Speed - Origin Traits: Explosive Pact
Recommended Controller PvP Perks: - Sights: Arrowhead Brake, Smallbore - Magazine: Accurized Rounds, Steady Rounds, Flared Magwell - Perk 1: Rangefinder, Rapid Hit, Kill Clip - Perk 2: Headseeker, Elemental Capacitor, High-Impact Reserves - Masterwork: Stability - Origin Traits: Explosive Pact
Recommended MnK PvP Perks: - Sights: Arrowhead Brake, Smallbore - Magazine: Accurized Rounds, Flared Magwell, Light Mag - Perk 1: Rangefinder, Rapid Hit, Kill Clip - Perk 2: Headseeker, High-Impact Reserves, Elemental Capacitor - Masterwork: Range - Origin Traits: Explosive Pact
Chattering Bone is showing its best footing yet. From a niche but underwhelming raid weapon to arguably the best in its archetype. Arrowhead Brake will bring up that low recoil direction, and Rapid Hit will bring up the low stability and reload speed. Kinetic Tremors is what brings up Chattering Bone’s utility. You could opt for sheer damage through Kill Clip and Focused Fury but I don’t know if the two of those perks would work together. It might be a case of the curated where you have damage that starts at the top half and once that goes away you have damage by the bottom half.
In PvP Rangefinder pushes this pulse out to compete with some of the higher damage archetypes with more base range. Headseeker gives you forgiveness with each burst. You could opt for some really juicy stats with Elemental Capacitor, I wouldn’t recommend Arc with the high base handling, but Void or Stasis could work really well.
The Supremacy - Kinetic Sniper Rifle
Source: Last Wish Raid

• Craftable: Yes
• Intrinsics: Rapid-Fire Frame
• Impact: 55
• Range: 32
• Stability: 38
• Handling: 68
• Reload Speed: 62
• Aim Assistance: 77
• Zoom: 40
• Airborne Effectiveness: 2
• Rounds Per Minute: 140
• Mag size: 5
• Recoil Direction: 60

Curated Roll: Polygonal Rifling / Armor-Piercing Rounds / Rapid Hit / Vorpal Weapon
Recommended PvE Perks: - Sights: Arrowhead Brake - Magazine: Appended Mag, Flared Magwell, Extended Mag - Perk 1: Rewind Rounds, Rapid Hit, Lead From Gold - Perk 2: Fourth Time's the Charm, Kinetic Tremors, Bait and Switch - Masterwork: Reload Speed - Origin Traits: Explosive Pact
Recommended Controller PvP Perks: - Sights: Fluted Barrel - Magazine: Ricochet Rounds - Perk 1: Snapshot Sights - Perk 2: Opening Shot, Elemental Capacitor - Masterwork: Handling - Origin Traits: Explosive Pact
Recommended MnK PvP Perks: - Sights: Fluted Barrel - Magazine: Ricochet Rounds - Perk 1: Snapshot Sights - Perk 2: Opening Shot, Elemental Capacitor - Masterwork: Handling - Origin Traits: Explosive Pact
The Supremacy is one of the most stacked snipers to reach our feeble hands. Fourth Time’s the Charm and Rewind Rounds coupled together gives you an unbelievable amount of ammo. Rapid Hit and Bait and Switch could be fun for maximum damage in a short period of time, and Kinetic Tremors with Lead from Gold could be a long distance add clear weapon.
In PvP The Supremacy could be the strongest 140 we currently have. You can achieve an incredibly high 92 handling with both Opening Shot and Snapshot Sights. Only Mercurial Overreach can get that high. You can also hit 100 with Elemental Capacitor, but you would have to switch out some other perks to invest into range.
Transfiguration - Kinetic Scout Rifle
Source: Last Wish Raid

• Craftable: Yes
• Intrinsics: High-Impact Frame
• Impact: 67
• Range: 74
• Stability: 22
• Handling: 29
• Reload Speed: 25
• Aim Assistance: 29
• Zoom: 21
• Airborne Effectiveness: 10
• Rounds Per Minute: 150
• Mag size: 14
• Recoil Direction: 78

Curated Roll: Fluted Barrel / Light Mag / Rapid Hit / Kinetic Tremors
Recommended PvE Perks: - Sights: Arrowhead Brake,Corkscrew Rifling, Fluted Barrel - Magazine: Appended Mag, Flared Magwell - Perk 1: Rapid Hit, Rampage, Rewind Rounds - Perk 2: Kinetic Tremors, Explosive Payload - Masterwork: Reload Speed - Origin Traits: Explosive Pact
Recommended Controller PvP Perks: - Sights: Arrowhead Brake, Chambered Compensator - Magazine: Steady Rounds - Perk 1: Rapid Hit, Rampage - Perk 2: Explosive Payload, Kill Clip, Opening Shot - Masterwork:Stability - Origin Traits: Explosive Pact
Recommended MnK PvP Perks: - Sights: Arrowhead Brake, Smallbore - Magazine: Steady Rounds - Perk 1: Rapid Hit, Rampage - Perk 2: Explosive Payload, Kill Clip, Opening Shot - Masterwork: Handling - Origin Traits: Explosive Pact
Transfiguration is a really solid scout mixed in with other really good scouts. Unfortunately, other scouts with similar rolls are already in most players' hands so there’s less of a reason to grind for this. Rapid Hit and Kinetic Tremors already exists on Hung Jury and most players like the precision archetype better than the high-impact archetype. Explosive Payload is a tried and true perk combo that works here too. The enhanced versions of Rapid Hit and Explosive Payload don’t add a ton to the weapon.
In PvP there aren’t a ton of reasons to use a high-impact scout. Jade Rabbit and Polaris Lance were dominant but not as strong any more. The rise and fall of scouts are typically accompanied by a slower game, pulses and SMGs are dominant right now because you’re either playing passively or aggressively, there aren’t too many middle avenues. Scouts cater to the former but on a higher end. If you do want to try this scout out in PvP you will need more than just Explosive Payload and some prayers.
Age-Old Bond - Void Auto Rifle
Source: Last Wish Raid

• Craftable: Yes
• Intrinsics: High-Impact Frame
• Impact: 33
• Range: 82
• Stability: 30
• Handling: 38
• Reload Speed: 34
• Aim Assistance: 61
• Zoom: 16
• Airborne Effectiveness: 10
• Rounds Per Minute: 360
• Mag size: 32
• Recoil Direction: 79

Curated Roll: Extended Barrel / Light Mag / Fourth Time's the Charm / Focused Fury
Recommended PvE Perks: - Sights: Arrowhead Brake, Corkscrew Rifling - Magazine: Appended Mag, Tactical Mag, Flared Magwell - Perk 1: Dragonfly, Repulsor Brace, Stats for All - Perk 2: Golden Tricorn, Destabilizing Rounds, Target Lock - Masterwork: Range, Stability, Handling, Reload Speed - Origin Traits: Explosive Pact
Recommended Controller PvP Perks: - Sights: Arrowhead Brake, Chambered Compensator, Corkscrew Rifling - Magazine: Accurized Rounds - Perk 1: Tap the Trigger, Dynamic Sway Reduction - Perk 2: Kill Clip, Target Lock - Masterwork: Stability - Origin Traits: Explosive Pact
Recommended MnK PvP Perks: - Sights: Arrowhead Brake, Extended Barrel, Smallbore - Magazine: Accurized Rounds - Perk 1: Tap the Trigger, Dynamic Sway Reduction - Perk 2: Target Lock, Kill Clip - Masterwork: Handling - Origin Traits: Explosive Pact
I am excited for this auto to pair with a void build using both Repulsor Brace and Destabilizing Rounds for a self buff and add clear. Golden Tricorn pairs well if you get Volatile from your subclass or just want a stronger weapon. Dragonfly in the third column will get beefed up with Golden Tricorn so I can see some utility outside of direct void explosions that could be usable all the way up to GM levels.
In PvP there are simply better options right now. Unlocking the patterns and getting them ready in the event of a buff would be wise, but quick killing weapons with good forgiveness coupled with Target Lock are the name of the game. Age-Old Bond kills quickly but does not have much in terms of forgiveness. Target Lock drops your 6 crit requirement down to 5 crit 1 body, not changing the time to kill, but making it ever so slightly more forgiving. With a bigger buff like Kill Clip you drop an entire shot needed to 4 crit 1 body. Not the most meta option.
Nation of Beasts - Arc Hand Cannon
Source: Last Wish Raid

• Craftable: Yes
• Intrinsics: Adaptive Frame
• Impact: 84
• Range: 40
• Stability: 57
• Handling: 42
• Reload Speed: 45
• Aim Assistance: 71
• Zoom: 14
• Airborne Effectiveness: 10
• Rounds Per Minute: 140
• Mag size: 10
• Recoil Direction: 95

Curated Roll: Full Bore / Light Mag / Dragonfly / Kill Clip
Recommended PvE Perks: - Sights: Fluted Barrel, Smallbore, Chambered Compensator - Magazine: Appended Mag, Tactical Mag, Flared Magwell - Perk 1: Discord, Dragonfly - Perk 2: Golden Tricorn, Explosive Payload, Voltshot - Masterwork: Reload Speed - Origin Traits: Explosive Pact
Recommended Controller PvP Perks: - Sights: Smallbore, Fluted Barrel - Magazine: Accurized Rounds - Perk 1: Opening Shot, Keep Away, Perpetual Motion - Perk 2: Explosive Payload, Kill Clip - Masterwork: Stability - Origin Traits: Explosive Pact
Recommended MnK PvP Perks: - Sights: Hammer-Forged Rifling, Smallbore, Fluted Barrel - Magazine: Accurized Rounds - Perk 1: Opening Shot, Keep Away, Perpetual Motion - Perk 2: Explosive Payload, Kill Clip - Masterwork: Range - Origin Traits: Explosive Pact
Oh how things have changed. Nation of Beasts used to be the Fakebringer of Destiny 2 giving us Outlaw and Dragonfly all wrapped into one small curated package. Now that Fatebringer is truly in the game and other weapons have been granted Outlaw and Dragonfly (or even Firefly) what sets Nation of Beasts apart? Well, not a lot. It does have access to two very strong AoE perks in Voltshot and Dragonfly, and can increase its damage through Golden Tricorn. Discord pulls ammo from thin air and can help when in lower activities to bypass reloading.
There aren’t a lot of hand cannons that see top tier usage in PvP. Opening Shot, Keep Away, and Perpetual Motion in one column, and Explosive Payload and Kill Clip in the other make for a stacked package. Add in enhanced perks and you have a recipe for a super solid hand cannon. Eye of the Storm or Fragile Focus would round out the mix for best perks on a hand cannon, but overall it’s a solid choice. Hard to say if this is stronger than Palindrome and Exalted Truth, but it certainly holds its own. You’ll have to fight some of the weird gun model though.
Techeun Force - Arc Fusion Rifle
Source: Last Wish Raid

• Craftable: Yes
• Intrinsics: Adaptive Frame
• Impact: 70
• Range: 39
• Stability: 39
• Handling: 27
• Reload Speed: 34
• Aim Assistance: 44
• Zoom: 15
• Airborne Effectiveness: 4
• Charge Time: 660
• Mag size: 6
• Recoil Direction: 60

Curated Roll: Hammer-Forged Rifling / Accelerated Coils / Reconstruction / Backup Plan
Recommended PvE Perks: - Sights: Arrowhead Brake - Magazine: Accelerated Coils, Ionized Battery, Liquid Coils - Perk 1: Rewind Rounds, Reconstruction, Kill Clip - Perk 2: Collective Action, Controlled Burst, Golden Tricorn, - Masterwork: Charge Time - Origin Traits: Explosive Pact
Recommended Controller PvP Perks: - Sights: Arrowhead Brake - Magazine: Projection Fuse - Perk 1: Under Pressure, Reconstruction, Kill Clip - Perk 2: Controlled Burst, Rangefinder, Kickstart - Masterwork: Range - Origin Traits: Explosive Pact
Recommended MnK PvP Perks: - Sights: Arrowhead Brake - Magazine: Projection Fuse - Perk 1: Under Pressure, Reconstruction, Kill Clip - Perk 2: Controlled Burst, Rangefinder, Kickstart - Masterwork: Range - Origin Traits: Explosive Pact
Techeun Force is looking to be the best fusion rifle in the game. I don’t say that often but given all the goodies of double damage perks, craftability, and great stats you can really have it your way. Rewind Rounds coupled with Collective Action for subclass agnostic buffs, Controlled Burst for laying down enemies or Golden Tricorn when on Arc will feel incredibly strong. Reconstruction is a tried and true gem of a perk, only beaten by my obsession with Overflow. Kill Clip can stack with all of these creating over 100% damage increases with Kill Clip, Golden Tricorn 2x, 3 Surge Mods, and Major Spec. If you set things up right you can almost have a 150% damage increase. Simply put it is the best fusion in the game for damage and has greater utility beyond that.
In PvP you could also recommend Techeun Force as the best fusion in the game and I will. Arrowhead Brake with a CB mod brings the recoil to 100, so you can invest the rest of the fusion into range via Projection Fuse and Rangefinder. If you value kill chaining you could go for Reconstruction and Controlled Burst for never reloading and getting that 20% damage increase. Another niche use case would be Kill Clip and Kickstart for a nice 4 bolt kill, you’d have to be sprinting immediately after reloading but the enhanced version extending Kill Clip’s timer will help you out.
Tyranny of Heaven - Solar Combat Bow
Source: Last Wish Raid

• Craftable: Yes
• Intrinsics: Lightweight Frame
• Impact: 68
• Accuracy: 36
• Stability: 59
• Handling: 68
• Reload Speed: 60
• Aim Assistance: 81
• Zoom: 18
• Airborne Effectiveness: 17
• Draw Time: 580
• Recoil Direction: 54

Curated Roll: Flexible String / Straight Fletching / Dragonfly / Incandescent
Recommended PvE Perks: - Sights: Elastic String, Flexible String, Polymer String - Magazine: Straight Fletching, Helical Fletching - Perk 1: Archer's Tempo, Explosive Head, Dragonfly - Perk 2: Golden Tricorn, Collective Action, Incandescent - Masterwork: Draw Time - Origin Traits: Explosive Pact
Recommended Controller PvP Perks: - Sights: Elastic String, Flexible String, Polymer String - Magazine: Straight Fletching, Helical Fletching - Perk 1: Archer's Tempo, Explosive Head, Moving Target - Perk 2: Golden Tricorn, Swashbuckler - Masterwork: Draw Time - Origin Traits: Explosive Pact
Recommended MnK PvP Perks: - Sights: Elastic String, Flexible String, Polymer String - Magazine: Straight Fletching, Helical Fletching - Perk 1: Archer's Tempo, Explosive Head, Moving Target - Perk 2: Golden Tricorn, Swashbuckler - Masterwork: Draw Time - Origin Traits: Explosive Pact
Tyranny of Heaven used to be the only solar bow in the game, and its sights are really odd. In its current version you can certainly get some good mileage out of the updated perks, only if you can agree with the wonky sights. Archer’s Tempo will get you the best reload / knock time, and Golden Tricorn is simply the best damage perk in the game. On solar that job gets even easier with the plethora of amazing abilities. Collective action will have slightly less uptime but could still be considered one of the better perks. Incandescent does give you some great AoE but I find that not bumping up the bow’s innate damage might feel a bit lackluster in higher end activities.
In PvP please just don’t use bows. The only way to one shot a guardian in PvP is by stacking 3 surge mods with Swashbuckler, or getting Golden Tricorn 2x going. While it is possible, and arguably sustainable within PvP it is incredibly niche. You can go a tried and true route with Snapshot Sights and any of the good third column perks but I would just use a precision frame instead.
Apex Predator - Solar Rocket Launcher
Source: Last Wish Raid

• Craftable: Yes
• Intrinsics: Adaptive Frame
• Blast Radius: 50
• Velocity: 49
• Stability: 43
• Handling: 44
• Reload Speed: 44
• Aim Assistance: 68
• Zoom: 20
• Airborne Effectiveness: 3
• Rounds Per Minute: 20
• Mag size: 1
• Recoil Direction: 61

Curated Roll: Quick Launch / High-Velocity Rounds / Reconstruction / Bipod
Recommended PvE Perks: - Sights: Quick Launch, Linear Compensator, Smart Drift Control - Magazine: Impact Casing - Perk 1: Reconstruction, Incandescent, Demolitionist - Perk 2: Explosive Light, Bait and Switch, Frenzy - Masterwork: Velocity - Origin Traits: Explosive Pact
Recommended Controller PvP Perks: - Sights: Quick Launch, Linear Compensator, Smart Drift Control - Magazine: High-Velocity Rounds - Perk 1: Incandescent, Tracking Module, Demolitionist - Perk 2: Explosive Light - Masterwork: Velocity - Origin Traits: Explosive Pact
Recommended MnK PvP Perks: - Sights: Quick Launch, Linear Compensator, Smart Drift Control - Magazine: High-Velocity Rounds - Perk 1: Incandescent, Tracking Module, Demolitionist - Perk 2: Explosive Light - Masterwork: Velocity - Origin Traits: Explosive Pact
Apex Predator is the best rocket launcher in the game. With enhanced Reconstruction you can almost always have a rocket ready to fire at any given time. With Explosive Light you get incredible amounts of damage and orbs are easy to make now. Bait and Switch is another great damage perk and does more damage, but I find Explosive Light easier to work with, especially with the new mod system revolving around orbs of power. Simple answer is, use Explosive Light if you’re lazy, if you’re trying to min-max use Bait and Switch.

I know daiquiris aren't necessarily "Tiki", but man are they good in a pinch! What's your go to daiquiri recipe and favorite rum to use?
I just made my first one of the year, using SC specs with Havana Club 7 year Añejo... I don't think I can ever go back!

I need recommendations for some all in one substrates or a simple dump and mix recipe.
Please and thank you!
I planted my first (ever) hoya cuttings a few days ago. I then looked up Hoya pictures and saw the Mathilde and I immediately posted in takeaplantleaveaplant.
I was then blessed by some amazing people who asked me to just pay for the shipping and they’d send me some different types of Hoya cuttings. I said yes of course!
My problem right now is pain. I’ll be ordering my first Hoya substrate from Amazon. (a drunk goat would drive better than I could right now)
Again , I am in need of substrate recommendations for some all in one substrates or a simple ratio dump and mix recipe. Thanks 🪴💚

My family has been in and out of Lincoln for twenty+ years now and we love The Oven's mulligatawny soup. I'd love to find a similar recipe but a lot of the ones I'm finding look super different.
Has anyone been down this path before with a recipe to share? It doesn't have to be exactly the same, just similar.
Can't wait to come back this fall!!

Take a break. If you have died 10+ times, go do something else in game or call it a night. Play a different game for a bit. Every boss I struggle with will be late at night or when I am tired or just frustrated. EVERY time I will come back to said boss and beat it with frail blood when I was getting waffle stomped with 100% of any blood. If you are getting frustrated enough with bosses in an EA game (as well balanced for the most part as it is) to call it quits and not even make it through all the content just stop for a bit. Perfect example, last night kept trying to JUST GET to the brightbringer whatever his name is in silver light and got killed by mobs like 8 times and never even made it to the boss. Gave it a rest, did base management, went fishing for a bit, called it a night. I came back this am before work to realize there is a broken section in the wall my DUMB ass never saw because I was rage mode at getting swarmed by mobs in silver light and never looked, When, THATS WHAT HAPPENS IN SILVER LIGHT. So I was able to sneak around, up the steps to the church killing the 2 set of sentries and went in and SHAT on the boss. I didn't even get below 75%hp. God gold bars recipe, got better weapons. As awesome as the bosses in this game are they are not that difficult. Get your play style, learn their moves, profit.
Also as a side note people having trouble, maxing move speed and crit chance has been the best strat for me thus far. The best defense is not getting hit. Also T3 gems add a huge boost to clear speed, cc, spell life leech, and making my unholy shield heal me for every projectile absorbed was huge. Before 100% rogue blood I already get like a 20% speed boost, with 100% rogue blood and the chaos dash I'm almost untouchable now as I can just walk out of most shit and the T3 gem on chaos dash adds an extra cd reduction, extra illusion with an explosion. Also, skeletons. Spawn as many skeletons as you can. Nothing like a boss spamming projectiles into my ward of the damned only to spawn an army of skeletons, then I fire the double skeleton volley on their face adding 4 more and a few are makes, they are probably afflicted by bane now, and with the rogue crots they just melt.
Which is the last note-use your skills and abilities in order and only use your movement skill either when you absolutely have to or know it will cd before you absolutely have to use it. I use chaos dash, because 2 dashes that leave exploding illusions that inflict ignite and snare.
Basically if you keep dying to one boss, take a break, try different spells, blood types, just don't beat your head against a brick wall.

Does anyone know how to get out of a Starbucks contract?
I just started my new job and I already want to quit. I REALLY want to quit. Because this shit isn’t normal. I mean, is it? Do you guys have experience with this type of shit, or is it a normal thing when moving to the city? I’m a small-town girl so I’m not used to this. We didn’t even have a Starbucks. Just a diner that had been broken into multiple times over the years.
Do you know the bad feeling you get when something bad is going to happen, but you ignore it for the sake of staying sane? .Yeah.
It was one of those situations.
But I needed cash. I needed a job. College in the city is expensive, especially in my mid-twenties. Uber Eats every night and various subscriptions, such as Netflix and Spotify—as well as basic living needs required cash. So, naturally, I looked for part-time jobs I could use to fill up my weekend and nights. When it came to job hunting, I was fairly lazy. So, the Starbucks job kinda came out of nowhere.
I wasn’t even looking for it. I was applying for a job in the local music store when it caught my eye. Someone to work late evenings and nights on weekdays and Saturdays. The job description didn’t say much, just basic pay details and a full paragraph dedicated to talking about “The Starbucks Family”. Skim reading it, I skipped to the APPLY NOW button and sent in my resume via email. Two hours.
It had taken two hours to get an email back offering a video interview the next day—and a guaranteed job if I didn’t screw it up. The video interview went well to my surprise. The woman who conducted it acted more like a friend, asking me what my favorite movies and TV shows were, and then going into detail about her own.
It didn’t even feel like an interview. More like a chat. Which was exactly what the email said it was going to be. The interviewer was my mom’s age, a total mom-like persona. She offered me iced tea before laughing and realizing we were on a video call. Her cat popped up halfway through her introducing several staff members by name. A large tabby whom she picked up and hugged to her chest. I wasn’t sure what to do except repeatedly say, “Aww.” and force an even bigger smile.
The woman who for some reason did not introduce herself finished the interview with a more formal and thorough talk-through of rules and regulations. Which went in one ear and out the other. I think I was too excited about the job as a whole. There’s something almost mythical about working at Starbucks. I’ve seen barista TikTok complaining about customer service and harping about in the back rooms. It looked fun. Plus, free drinks? I figured working at the famous coffee chain would at least have benefits and freebies.
The woman spoke to me for almost two hours about certain drinks, telling me I would be trained up, and then going on to explain the dos and don’ts in a working environment. It was kind of patronizing, but I figured she had to be to remain professional. I tuned out when she started talking about a certain “feud” they had with another store down the road. The woman didn’t go into detail, but her expression did darken significantly when she leaned closer to her screen and repeated the phrase, “Do you understand me?” I had to backtrack and try and go over what she had been saying, but I had found myself mesmerized by the gilded sword in the background. It hung from the back wall in all of its glory, and I was having a hard time trying to figure out why exactly a Starbucks manager had a sword hanging from her wall.
“Sim?” Inclining her head, the manager cleared her throat. “Did you hear me?”
I did. Sort of. Under no circumstances must I visit or go near 2nd Street Starbucks. If I did there would be dire consequences and I would face losing my job, or worse.
I wasn’t sure what “or worse” was, but from the way her expression twisted from funny-cat-lady to a potential employer, I didn’t want to ask.
Yikes.
“Uh, yeah,” I said. “I can’t go near the 2nd Street store.” I almost choked on a glass of water I had been slowly sipping throughout the interview. I had been sweating most of the day, dying in the intense June heat. It was a lot cooler in the evening in the city, but I was used to draining at least ten glasses a day. “Is that real?” I couldn’t help asking, pointing to the sword behind her.
I know you are supposed to maintain a certain professional persona and façade during professional work interviews with potential managers. However, I really wanted to know if that ancient thing was real, it was driving me crazy. Because questions were arising in my head: How did she get it? Was it hers? Was it for some kind of aesthetic and feng-shui, or was there more to it? From the look on the interviewer’s face, she seemed startled.
Whipping her head around, her strict grey ponytail hitting the screen, she nodded before turning back to me, her gaze flicking down to what I presumed was a script she was reading off—or maybe she was skimming through my printed-out resume. I wanted to ask her more about the elephant in the room, but she seemed satisfied with answering my question with a nod. She asked me more questions, mostly about my work ethic and if I enjoyed working in a team and independently, if I had any special requirements, and oddly—if I had ever held a firearm. Now, that caused alarm bells. Along with the gilded sword dangling from this forty-something-year-old’s lounge wall, I was definitely starting to question the exact nature of what I would be doing at this job. Serving coffee was an obvious one, though I was pretty sure Starbucks barista's didn’t require military-style training.
When I didn’t know what to say, she seemed to back-pedal. “Oh, it’s in case of a robbery.” She said. But her expression stayed stoic. Speaking in the tone of being joking, but not being joking. “It is rare. However, it is a precaution we must take.” Choosing her words carefully, the interviewer steepled her hands in front of her face, leaning her chin on her fingers. “Our employees are given basic fire-arm training in the instance that one day we may face a difficult situation. Now, I am not saying it is inevitable, but due to certain behavior throughout the years, it is, of course, better to be safe than sorry.”
“Oh.” I tried to smile. “No, I haven’t,” I paused, hoping my lack of ability to hold a gun wouldn’t screw up my chances. “But I can learn?”
I said it like a question because it was a question. I was questioning myself why exactly I would take up my time learning to shoot a gun I most likely never would need. To my surprise though, the woman’s smile brightened and she looked down at whatever she was writing.
“Of course,” she said. “Sim, I am very happy to hear that. We love employees who do their best to learn and thrive in our working environment,” she paused and typed something on her laptop before her gaze found mine. “I’ll put you down for lessons on Friday mornings. How does that sound?” Before I could answer her—because I was starting to seriously question why she was so obsessed with training me to use a goddamn gun—she was nodding to herself. “I will put Jude in charge of you. I think he is working on Friday, so your induction and welcome can be completed in the morning…”
She trailed off into her own murmured conversation to herself before clearing her throat. I jumped. I didn’t mean to jump, but her whole presence was putting me on edge. The lady had been nicer on the phone, and earlier on in the interview when she was grilling me on which Frozen character was my favorite.
“Okay!” The interviewer gathered up her paperwork, beaming at me through the camera. “Can you start tomorrow? Let’s say…” her eyebrows furrowed together. “5:30? I will not be there for the first hour due to certain obligations,” she traced her lip with the tip of her index. “However, I have four employees working the front desk, I’m sure they will give you a warm welcome.” I noticed something twitch on her lips. It was almost like she was trying to stop herself from laughing—which was childish from a standpoint where I was the younger one, while she was the senior. She was supposed to be setting some kind of standard, and yet for some reason was more inclined in teasing me about workplace friendships, and apparently how “close” my colleagues were. I wasn’t stupid, I knew what friendship was like in the workplace. It’s not “real” because you’re all there to do a job, not making lifelong friendships.
“I’m looking forward to meeting them,” I said when she snorted out a laugh that twisted up my gut.
"Absolutely," she responded. "The team is very close, so don't take it personally if they're initially cautious. I'm confident that you'll all become great friends! Kai is a kind-hearted sweetheart, while Ana may seem standoffish initially, but she'll warm up to you once you get to know her. Jude, on the other hand, will be your guide during the orientation, so it's best to stay close to him. In fact, it's recommended to shadow him during your first few hours since he's our top performer! Frankly, Sim, I can hardly wait for you to meet them! They're a great group!" This woman seemed to suddenly discover the use of expletives, or maybe she had noticed I visibly wanted to crawl into the ground. The way she was describing the other employees, I was expecting cartoon characters when I walked through the door.
“Right,” I said. I was starting to regret applying. “I’ll be there.”
She ended the call with a bright smile, and her stupid cat walking on the keyboard, causing her to squeak out in horror. I shut my laptop, my cheeks burning. Well, that went…? Well? Could I really say it went well when the manager had spent the last five minutes implying my work colleagues were going to hate me? Fuck.
I didn’t want to go. I trashed my application and deleted her number from my phone. But the morning after, however, I came to the quick realization through precious morning caffeine, that I needed cash. So, no matter how much I didn’t want to go—I had to. So, I headed to classes and tried not to think about it. It was 5:34 when I stepped into the familiar glow of the famous store—not before being stopped in the middle of a crowed by a girl wearing bright pink ray-bans and a scowl. “Do you work there?” she turned and pointed to the store.
I shrugged. “I guess.”
She scoffed, slipping off her ray-bans and fixing me with a bitchy smile. “Your funeral.”
Normally, in situations when strangers say odd things to me on the street, I just laugh it off. But this? This seemed personal.
“What?”
The girl didn’t say anything before turning and walking or rather running away.
Well, that was weird.
After that encounter, I was weighing the positives and negatives of taking up the job. The positives would be cash and something to occupy my mind away from classes, and the negatives were being stuck with insufferable colleagues and a manager who was the embodiment of unprofessional. The store was pretty empty when I stepped through automatic doors, reveling in the cooling fan blasting icy cold air in my face. A dark-haired college girl had her back to me, cleaning tables. But I noticed her stiffening up when I took a step forward. She straightened up like a cat going into territorial mode, before relaxing and holding a two-fingered hand up.
The store was empty so I had no idea who she was signaling to. It wasn’t a greeting to me—I had no idea what it was. I was halfway to the counter before a guy popped up out of nowhere, mid-way through drying a cup with a washrag. His hair was the first thing I noticed. Bright red.
In contrast to his pasty skin, this guy would definitely stand out in a crowd. He was my age or maybe a little older, mid twenties, with a wide smile and not much of anything else, kitted in a short-sleeved shirt, and a Starbucks apron over the top.
I expected quirky cartoon-like weirdos and I got an average Joe. I wasn’t complaining.
Initially, I thought this guy was just another jock-like college guy. But looking closer, the friendliness in his eyes wasn’t sincere, and his smile was strained. Keeping up a professional attitude, he regarded me with a smile, leaning across the counter. But his eyes kept flicking to the door in quick succession like he was waiting for a certain someone to come in. “You.” He pointed at me, trailing his finger to the door, swiping hair from his face with his hand. The guy was bouncing on the heels of his toes, I noticed. He couldn’t stand still, like a hyperactive child. “You’re Sim, The newbie I’m supposed to be training.”
I nodded, offering a nervous wave.
“Jude.” He introduced himself, though clearly distracted, his gaze flicking to and from the door. His facade was friendly enough, but very fake. It was the same smile I presumed he flashed at customers who complimented his looks. “Hey, Sim.”
Instead of holding out his hand for me to shake, he folded his arms across his chest. Jude cocked his head, drinking me in before his lips broke out into a beam.
"Shall we get started?"
Jude started the tour, showing me the store itself, then the back, the storage room, the staff room, and bizarrely, a wooden door which he referred to as, “The Drink”. I had no idea what that meant, but I made a mental note to steer away from it.
The backrooms of the store turned into a labyrinth. The place was covered in mold, peeling paint on the doors and old rugged floor tiles. Jude spoke way too fast like he was intentionally trying to confuse me. By the time I was struggling with my apron, he was turning on his heels with a brow raised. “Your hair is too long so you need to tie it up. You can shadow me this evening but don’t get in my way. We have two twenty-minute breaks and during them, we are contractually obligated to go down to the Second Street store and throw eggs at their windows—ooh, and the girl you just met who didn’t say a word? That’s Ana. You will get used to her.” His smile reached a level of fake I didn’t think was possible. “Why don’t you follow me?”
“What?” I managed to hiss out when Jude was leading me down a long, winding corridor that dipped into various rooms, out-of-order elevators, and the creepiest set of stairs I had ever seen leading into the pitch dark. I was still trying to register his words.
Jude twisted around with a frown. “What’s up?” He nodded at a passing blonde girl who shot me a smile, and hive-fived Jude before disappearing through a door.
“You throw eggs at the store down the road?”
The guy’s lip twitched into the start of a smile. He turned around, quickening his pace. “Did I say that? Obviously, I was joking.”
I stumbled after him, knocking into a dark-haired younger guy carrying a tray of cupcakes. He and Jude seemed to exchange words without speaking before Jude gestured to the stranger. Somehow, I figured out their telepathic conversation through eye movements and strained smiles, they weren’t talking about me. “That’s Kai,” Jude said, pushing through the doors back to the main storefront. He took a customer’s order, retaining that stupid smile. “If you need any help with making those annoying TikTok drinks that take a millennia to make and have probably broken several Geneva convention rules?” He playfully knocked into me while preparing a drink, his hands knowing where everything was, preparing and serving a latte in a matter of minutes, “Kai is your guy! He runs our social media page and is practically a connoisseur on the next big trend. He'll deal with zoomers."
I was slowly starting to ease my way into this job, and my colleagues seemed pretty cool. Jude actually helped me all the way through the evening, introducing his home life and how he grew up as he cleaned tables and conversed with the others—always throwing me into their chatting so I didn’t get left out. I ended up sorting through cookies and making price labels with Aurora, the perky blonde who high-fived Jude earlier. She spoke to me like we had been best friends for years, and that part of her charm made me instantly adore her. She was tiny for her age, but a menace when it came to her sharp tongue and language. I didn’t think a tiny thing like her could swear like a goddamn sailor, but it was cute. Jude and Aurora had a sibling-type thing going on, though every time I caught Kai’s eye, he was smirking. It seemed everyone knew they had a thing except them.
I was actually having fun with the others, bobbing my head to the radio while serving a group of kids, when Jude, who was next to me, seemed to go rigid all of a sudden. His laughing smile carved into something else. I had never seen an expression change so fast.
But he wasn’t the only one. Aurora, cleaning tables and giggling at Jude’s joke, straightened up, her eyes flashing to the door. Kai’s head snapped up from where he had been grinding coffee. Following their gaze, I found myself face-to-face with the manager who interviewed me. But unlike the night before, she was not smiling. The woman dropped her bag at the door before marching towards the counter. Jude leaned over; his expression apprehensive.
“Well?”
His eyes as well as his tone had darkened significantly. All of my colleagues had taken off these masks, these facades of joking smiles and bright eyes, and now I was seeing a glimmer of what they were hiding. What Jude had been looking for all evening, sneaking glances at the door. I watched his gaze follow the manager as she paced back and forth, chewing her nails. “Where is he?”
“I don’t know.” She finally said, lifting her head. Her lips were twisted. “But.” She said, spitting each word, as she rounded the counter, helping herself to coffee. “You’re going to pay a visit to them right now, and…and sort this out once and for all.” Her voice resembled that of a mother talking to her children. She was assertive to them, her eyes piercing. Do you understand me?” The woman nodded at Jude. “You can go.” Her eyes found mine. “Take the new girl, she needs to be inducted.” Finally, she turned to Ana, who was standing in the corner silently. “You are too. I need brains, and Jude is just brawn. Keep him on his toes, young lady."
With a hint of sarcasm in his tone, Jude uttered a brief "Thanks," and then proceeded to take a coffee cup and a Sharpie. Swiftly, he scrawled some words on the side of the cup, before placing it inside a bag and plonking it in front of me. As Jude reached for his coat at the back, he put it on over his green Starbucks apron, creating a striking contrast with his denim blue sherpa. With his mop of red curls, this guy was in no way going to be as incognito as he thought. "We'll manage the conversation,” he said hurriedly, visibly excited. Jude seemed to lead the others in their expressions, his confidence and wit causing them to brighten up, adapting wide smiles. He shoved his hands in his pockets, “All you gotta do is hand them this, okay?”
“Is that a good…” Kai drifted off on whatever he was about to say, ducking his head when Jude shot him a glare.
“I think it’s a perfect idea!” The manager beamed at me. “What a way to fully bring you into our family!”
I took the coffee cup (the empty coffee cup) hesitantly. “What is it?”
“It’s a gift!” Jude said, moving towards the door in long strides. It was all too noticeable that this guy was practically vibrating with an energy I had never known. It was almost manic. “I want to let them know we appreciate them! Y’know! Rival to rival.”
Kai stepped in front of him on the way out.
“Be careful,” he said in a low hum. Aurora joined him, but she wasn’t speaking, her left-hand tugging at the waistband of her jeans. “Keep your head down when you go in because they’ll be expecting you—and they’ll be expecting a retaliation.”
“Relaaaaax, it’s Cora! We used to date!” he cocked his head. "I think."
“I mean it. "
Jude’s gaze found mine for a moment before his smile grew. “Well, we have enough eggs don’t we?” He grabbed my arm, pulling me along. Ana was already gone. I could see her figure already slinking down the street, bleeding into the shadow.
When the two of us hit the cool night air and Jude quickened his pace into a power-walk, his eyes set forwards, jaw set, I figured I should ask what his deal was. If this guy was serious about vandalizing a rival Starbucks, and not just that, urged by his manager, then I had to say something.
The thought of ending up in jail being petty over a rival store made me feel nauseous.
“So, what is this about?” I asked, catapulting myself into a half-run to keep up with him. The guy had abnormally long legs, so he was halfway across the sidewalk while I was barely two steps in front. “Aren’t you taking this a little too seriously?”
Jude didn’t reply, instead remarking on the sky being filled with stars.
“Hey, Ana!” He shouted. “Wait up!”
Second Street Starbucks was like walking into a palace. I could tell why these guys were rivals. The place was a three-floored beast, a glass building made up of a Starbucks downstairs, a library, and a private apartment. I found myself mesmerized by the twinkling lights on the door, the mini water fountain through large windows showing an even bigger storefront with rich-looking wooden tables and reclining chairs. The store was closing. When we stepped in front of the door, there was a sign which clearly said CLOSED on the front.
Still, though, Ana pushed her way through it, followed by Jude, pulling me along with him. Two employees were working, a guy with short blondish hair mopping the floors, and a girl standing at the counter, going through the register. The moment we stepped inside, the guy cleaning up stopped mopping from side to side, his fingers visibly tightening around the mop handle. “Hey there!”
With one of his best fake smiles, Jude raised his arms in surrender. “We’re from the Starbucks down the road. We come in peace, don’t worry!” He gestured to me.
“Can we talk to your manager?”
He took a step, his lip twitching, eyes glinting, which caused a stir in the air. The girl at the counter stopped flicking through a wad of cash in her hand and delicately put it down, and the guy turned to face us with wary eyes.
As Jude took another stride forward, his movements resembled a dance, and I noticed he was having fun teasing them. His eyes sparkled with a childlike glee that was unexpected for a person in his twenties. "Would you like to try our latest coffee recipe? It's like sipping on liquid sunshine." He nonchalantly brushed his jeans, and I half-expected him to pull out an egg. “But…” Jude took another step, and Ana situated herself behind the blonde boy, her expression blank. “You’ve already tasted it, haven’t you?”
The girl behind the counter finally stopped counting cash, delicately placing a wad back inside the register before leaning forward, an amused smirk curving on her lips. “Jude.” Her voice was a low murmur. “I didn’t think I would see you here so soon.”
“Cora.” Jude’s lips quirked. “Trust me, I don’t want to be. But hey, it's the boss's orders.”
She inclined her head, her eyes drinking all of him in. The girl rested her fist on her chin. She was surveying him like a piece of meat. “And you obey her?”
His grin widened, and I saw his hand once again brush the front of his apron. “Like a dog.”
“You know her?” I hissed out, grasping hold of the coffee cup in my hand.
“Cora?” Jude turned to me. “Oh yeah, we used to be the Romeo and Juliet of coffee shop rivalry — back when we were both newbies, and our store kidnapped me as a last resort. To keep the peace, I stayed.” He shrugged. “That’s what I’m told, anyway.”
Starbucks lore was getting dark.
These guys had to be joking around.
I took a step back, eager to head towards the door and be as far away as possible from what I was pretty sure was going to be a lot of eggs, and several arrests. “You worked here?” I couldn’t believe my mouth was still moving and forming words as I took slow steps back. Before Jude caught my arm.
“Apparently.” He said, dragging me back by his side. “Why don’t you give ‘em’ their gift?”
Fuck.
Unwrapping the bag and pulling out the cup, I nodded and took slow strides toward the counter, placing it down in front of her.
Cora frowned, before picking it up, her gaze going to the side.
“Go fuck yourself 2nd street bloodsuckers.” She read out loud, her brow raising into her hairline.
Shit.
“I should probably go.” I managed to say, backing away. “I don’t think is the job for me—”
The latter half of my words exploded in my head when something slammed into my ears, a physical force sending me to my knees. Initially, I didn’t know what it was. It sounded like a nuclear bomb had gone off. When the ringing in my head subsided, I was aware I had my head buried in my knees, my hands clamped over my ears.
But when I tried to listen past the relentless shrill ringing in my skull, I heard them one after the other. Pop, pop, pop! Gunshots. The crack of each bullet ricocheted in my skull. It was a robbery, I thought dizzily. We were being robbed. No, Second Street was being robbed. When I lifted my head to try and find Jude and Ana to see if they were okay-- I expected them to be cowering like me, Jude, under the table, muffling yelling into his hand, and Ana, calmly pulling him to safety. But that wasn't what I saw. Instead, I must have been fucking imagining things. Jude had not moved from his spot-- and perfectly melded into his hand, was a gun. A gun he was holding like a pro, his hands wrapped around the butt, index teasing the trigger.
His trajectory was directly between Cora's eyes. Jude had not been the one who shot the gun. In fact, neither had Ana, who was still standing stiffly behind the blonde guy.
It was a girl behind the counter who had come out of nowhere wielding the type of gun I expected to see in movies. I noticed from his stance Jude had maybe stepped to the left and then the right to avoid being hit, but the way his demeanour was fully and completely relaxed sent shivers creeping down my spine. "The deal is off, Cora," he murmured. "You fuck with us, so we fuck with you." he lowered his gun slightly, his eyes darkening. "Where's Ren? He came here to sniff you out, so where is he?"
Cora seemed remarkably calm. She started to raise her hands, her lips forming the words, "I don't know what you're talking about" before she stopped, her body going limp. It took me a disorienting moment to realize Jude had taken the shot, followed by another, both landing right between her eyes. When Cora hit the ground, the whole world around me exploded.
I was dragged to the ground by Jude, as he dived across the floor, pressing himself into the back of a table, twisting around, and taking out the barista who almost shot me in the face. There were five of them, all of them good shooters. Too good. Ana easily took out a blonde and brunette with her own magnum, followed by a bald guy who crashed through the counter which collapsed under him.
Jude fell into a manic shoot-out with a guy who would not give up, and after several attempts, re-loading, and attempting to finish him from the ground, my colleague got tired and stood up, dropped his gun, and leaped across the counter. I didn't know what to watch. Ana, who was destroying their coffee machine, or Jude, who snapped the boy's neck with a single twist of his fingers, before ripping out his eyes. He hauled the dead guy over his knees, grazing his teeth across the pasty flesh of the boy's neck, his eyes flickering. I wouldn’t say they turned a different color, but there was something inhuman about them, a certain tint around his iris. "Urgh."
He shoved the corpse away, jumping up. "He reeks of it." Treading through broken glass and pooling red on the floor, my colleague grabbed a cup, downed it, and then spat it out. “That.” He sputtered. “Is the worst fucking thing I’ve ever tasted.”
Ana stepped in front of him, handing the boy his gun. “When one of any clan is murdered for with no reason, there is an imbalance, and the coffee is tainted. We must restore the balance before this gets out of hand,” she surprised me by speaking, with a tinge of an Aussie accent. The girl side-eyed me before shooting Jude a knowing look. “Don’t let her get in our way.”
“Aye, aye, captain.” He mocked a salute before nodding to me. “All right! Sim, you grab a sample. We’ll go find the altar.”
Something ice-cold slipped down my spine.
“What?”
“Cool it. It’s more fun than it sounds,” was all Jude responded with. “Grab the samples.”
I was running on adrenaline, doing exactly what he said. I grabbed two coffee cups. “What do we do now? We go home, right?”
He swiped at his lips with a sound of disgust. “Are you kidding? No, man. We get coffee which ain’t tainted.”
Ana took out two guards in the back before leading us both through a heavy metal door that led into tunnels, tunnels, illuminated by candlelight. “You just killed multiple people,” I finally managed to choke out, following the two of them deeper into the dark. “Over coffee.” I couldn’t resist a nervous laugh that spluttered into a cry. “You just murdered seven baristas over fucking coffee!” I found myself backing away at points, scanning for a way out, an exit away from this fucking nightmare.
Jude turned to me, the glitter in his eyes reflected in the candlelight. “Oh, please,” His voice echoed down the tunnel in a chuckle. “Do you really think this is just about coffee?”
I didn't understand what he meant until we came to the end of the tunnel, which dipped into an alcove leading us into a large cave-like room. Drawing his gun, Jude scanned the dark. "Anyone in here?" He said, and Ana hit him. Silence answered, and I found myself paralyzed to the spot. I didn't know what to stare at first. The ten-foot-tall Starbucks Siren looming over us, illuminated in flickering orange candlelight, or the old swimming pool filled to the brim. When I took a step forward, my foot sunk into something soft, and I made the mistake of looking down. Bodies.
I guessed that was "The Drink".
I felt myself fall back, but Ana's warm arms were guiding me away from decomposing flesh which decapitated heads poisoned in a way that I could almost call ritualistic. There were bodies everywhere, all of them curled up or had died in a position of prayer. Jude crouched in front of a guy still in his Starbucks apron. His eyes had been cleanly plucked from his skull. Jude's expression was beautifully sombre in the candlelight. "Fuck, dude," he whispered.
"Looks like they got you."
“Which explains how they got their hands on our recipe.” Ana pulled out her gun and clicked off the safety. The girl’s eyes were suddenly sad, her lip wobbling. I had a hard time believing a girl who had taken out three baristas at point-blank range was crying.
"Through him."
“What is this place?” I whispered. "What the fuck are you doing in here?”
Jude straightened up. Ana moved behind him, and I noticed her hands holding her gun were trembling. She raised her arm, pointing it at the back of his head. Jude didn't retaliate, only sending me a sickly smile. "It used to be ours," he said. "Until other stores started opening, and it became a fucking free-for-all." Jude sighed, rocking back and forth on his heel. Ana's trigger finger followed his movements. "We have a peace treaty..." Jude trailed off. "Sorry. HAD a peace treaty." He nodded to his colleague. "Second Street has always been obsessed with this particular blend we have that other stores don't." His lips curved. "They're greedy, and thought they could fuck with us. First, they took our last manager. He was like a dad to us. Sliced him up and sent us his head." He gestured to his friend. "And then they took Ren. They brought this shit upon themselves."
As he spoke, Jude dropped to his knees and closed his eyes, bowing his head in front of the Siren. Ana didn't move. "Are you ready?"
“Always.”
I screamed, slamming my hand over my mouth when this time when Ana shot Jude point blank in the back of the head. When his body crumpled to the ground, something inside me snapped in two, and I couldn’t breathe suddenly. I thought the two were playing some kind of sick game before I caught unmistakable seeping black pooling across the alter.
In the blur of orange candlelight, it was almost a mesmerizing sight. “Shush!” Ana sent me an annoyed look, before gathering his body in her arm. “Make yourself useful and grab a bucket,” she said, stumbling towards the pool. I watched her, my heart diving into my throat. When I didn’t move, Ana hissed out and twisted around.
“Did you not hear me?!” she yelled. “Get a bucket and start collecting it!” The girl gestured towards a large, rusted pipe looming over the pool, a stream of murky brown water leaking into the pool. When I started forwards, the girl shook her head. “Not yet.” She said, before heaving Jude’s body and throwing him into the darkness. I heard the splash, but I didn’t even see his body hit the surface. Part of me wanted to demand what the fuck she was doing, but I did what I was told, with trembling hands, grabbing a bucket and shuffling over to the pool edge. Ana hissed out again. “I said not yet!” Before I could speak, she held a finger to her lips. “Do it now!”
“The pool water?!” I shrieked.
She raised a brow. “You think that’s water?”
Before I could coerce some kind of speech, I was interrupted by what felt like a sudden earthquake. The ground rumbled under our feet, and I hesitated before dropping the bucket into the water and scooping up as much as I could. I quickly realized it wasn’t water. It was thick with the constancy of blood, coffee brown and yet sticky and warm like blood.
Above us, the pipe seemed to come to life, a brand new stream of murky brown solution coming down in a waterfall. I didn’t think about the pieces of flesh floating on the surface, the decomposing heads I caught bobbing around, or the fact that I was dipping my hands in blood. Coffee and blood. My stomach was trying to projectile my lunch, but I swallowed it down. I took advantage, managing three buckets before Ana was grasping my shoulders and pulled me back. I didn’t realize I was sobbing until she was handing me a handkerchief, and I was staring at her and it, like, “What do you expect me to do with this?!”
Still in shock, I tried to get another bucket full before she dragged me from the pool edge. “You can stop now,” she said. “We have enough.”
"Enough what?!"
I staggered back when the surface of the pool rippled. I don’t know what I expected to come out.
Dead bodies?
Decapitated heads?
Not Jude, covered in the brown murky shit I had filled the buckets with. When he broke the surface, I almost threw one of the buckets at his head. Despite being covered in coffee and blood, his skin was oddly free of flaws. The guy was also really naked, which should have been a minor problem compared to what I was seeing, which was a real resurrection in front of a ten-foot statue of the Starbucks siren. Which was completely normal.
But I still found my cheeks heating up. Jude ran a hand through soaked curls sticking over his eyes, shaking them like a dog before pulling himself out. I couldn’t help noticing there was no gunshot wound. It was almost as if his body was completely new. I took in abnormally grey-looking skin, like dead flesh, before averting my gaze. “Did we do it?” He gasped out, immediately covering himself. Once out of the pool, he knelt on the ground, sucking in breaths of air before seemingly realizing the state of himself.
“Fuck. I didn’t think this through.”
“I did.” Ana reached into the backpack she had brought, pulling out a shirt and jeans, reverting her eyes, and throwing him the bundle. “Get dressed.” She said, But there was a slight smirk on her lips. “Yes. I think we managed to appease them.”
“Sweet!” Jude grinned, dressing quickly. He sucked the tips of his fingers. “Mmm.” He nodded at Ana. “That tastes a lot better.”
He gestured to her, and to my disgust, the girl delicately licked his fingers and nodded with her own smile. “It tastes like cherry blossom.”
His eyes fell on me, and I saw that inhuman gleam in his eye—that had been very much there before he was resurrected in a pool of coffee. His lip quirked. I could still see coffee-- or blood dripping in thick rivulets down his temples and cheek. “Should we?”
Jude turned to Ana. “I mean while we’re here, right? We can induct the newbie.”
Immediately, I knew what he was talking about. I stepped back, but he was following me, getting closer and closer until his breath was in my face, and I was teetering on the edge. I sensed something in his eyes, something I never expected from a man who knew exactly what he was doing. Envy. Another step, and I would be falling into what I was sure was a pool full of decomposing bodies and resurrecting coffee. “Not now,” Ana murmured, and Jude snapped out of it, taking a step back.
“Buzzkill.” He muttered.
But he did step away, allowing me to inch away from the pool.
“Later,” Ana said. “She’s shaken up. We can do it first thing tomorrow.”
To my surprise, there were no cops at the scene at Second Street. Because there was no scene.
The store was back to normal, and I didn’t have the energy to question why. When we returned, Aurora wrapped me into a hug I tried to get out of as quickly as possible, eager to get the fuck away from that place. But. I had to finish my shift. I had watched a man resurrected by coffee in a fucking Starbucks shrine, and yet somehow I had to keep making drinks until my shift ended. It was nearing closing time when the doors opened, and I found myself face-to-face with the girl from earlier. The one wearing the pink ray-bans.
She didn’t say anything, but the blade of her knife grazing my gut told me everything I needed to know. With a knowing look when she slipped off her raybans, she pressed something into my hand before leaving, and I handed it to the manager, who opened it up, almost died laughing, and then threw it in the trash.
“You work for psychopaths.” I managed to get out, sidling in front of Jude while he was clocking out.
“Also, didn’t you… didn’t you fucking die?”
Jude didn’t look up from his phone. “It’s complicated.” His lip quirked. “You’ll find out tomorrow during your induction.”
“But… you work for these people!” I lowered my voice. “And you’re not trying to get away?” I gestured to Kai and Aurora standing by the door, the two of them locked in conversation. “None of you?”
Jude frowned, and I caught the first hint of annoyance. I had only seen this guy smiling, so seeing him scowling was quite the change. “I’m sorry, do you… do you think I have a choice?”
He surprised me with a laugh. “Me? A choice? You really think I wake up every morning and WANT to do this shit?” He got close, his breath in my ear. “You came here willingly. I didn’t. In fact? I don’t even remember coming here. My interview, my first day? Nothing. I don’t even remember my time at Second Street.” He threw a towel at me before I could coerce words. “Finish clearing up, all right? I’ll see you tomorrow for induction.”
There was something cruel in his smile like he was waiting for whatever my induction had in store for me.
I couldn’t help myself. When everyone was gone, and I was tasked with locking up, I picked the discarded note out of the trash, smoothing it down.
“You pieces of shit just declared war. Sleep with one eye open! 😊”
Cora xx.”
….
I cut my finger with a knife this morning. When I sucked it and grabbed a band-aid, I tasted coffee. I went home and threw up coffee.
I am peeing coffee.
I showered 8 times and I still fucking smell of coffee.
I don’t think I’m going to go to work tomorrow.
Edit: There’s been a break-in— and the manager wants me to come in early. Jude and Ana woke me up in the middle of the night to go over tactics. We are taking down Second Street during closing time.
I guess I am going to work tomorrow.
Does anyone know how to use a gun?

I keep seeing 50/50 plate for maximum weight loss / starch solution. But where does the protein fit in? In addition to the 50/50? On the side? Does it take up half of the starch side so it’s really half veg, quarter starch, quarter protein? I can’t imagine it’s just starch and veggies. That doesn’t sound right or balanced to me so I use up part of my starch portion for protein.
One thing I don’t get about the 50/50 plate (I’ve never read the starch solution book, I mainly rely on my sister, who is vegan, and I mainly get inspiration from broccoli mum on instagram…I have all her pdfs). I was watching healthy Emmie too, but something about her rubs me the wrong way. She’s all about weight loss hacks and overt simplicity, which is great for “quick” results. For me, long term suggests more than hacks and short cuts. Not slamming it or her, she just wasn’t for me. I’ve used a couple of her simple recipes (seed mixture, honey Dijon made with dates), but I much prefer high carb Hannah or broccoli mum. Those two are ace and don’t mind prepping or cooking, which is more aligned with my kitchen personality lol. 👌🏼
Thanks so much in advance and please go easy. I barely started beginning of May and I follow along with the guidelines as best as I can without having read the actual starch solution book. ☺️

Enclave solders for the most part have no armour or weapons. They still have grenade and mines, sometimes rippers.
The officers and scientists are fine. SOME soldiers have weapons and armour, such as the ones inside the Jefferson Memorial, and the ones who capture you in Vault 87. But everyone I see out in the world, and the soldiers in Raven Rock have none.
Modlist is quite long, but the only problem I'm having is this.
FalloutNV.esm
DeadMoney.esm
HonestHearts.esm
OldWorldBlues.esm
LonesomeRoad.esm
GunRunnersArsenal.esm
Fallout3.esm
Anchorage.esm
ThePitt.esm
BrokenSteel.esm
PointLookout.esm
Zeta.esm
CaravanPack.esm
ClassicPack.esm
MercenaryPack.esm
TribalPack.esm
TaleOfTwoWastelands.esm
YUPTTW.esm
Helmet Overlay.esm
Tammer's NIF-Bashed Armor Mega-Pack.esm
Tammer's NIF-Bashed Weapons Mega-Pack.esm
TTW Reputations.esm
Regulators.esm
TTW Capital Armaments.esp
FNV Existential Thread.esp
TTW New Vegas Speech Checks.esm
TTW New Vegas Speech Checks - TTW Reputations Patch.esm
Detect Traps.esm
Advanced Recon Tech.esm
oHUD.esm
JIP Selective-Fire.esm
Unofficial Patch NVSE Plus.esp
zNechiPArmorWalkUnderwater.esp
TTW Lone Courier's Dialogue - DC Origin.esp
Flora Overhaul.esp
TTW D.C. Duds.esp
OWN FILE TTW.esp
Clarity - TTW - DarkNights.esp
Advanced Recon Patches.esp
LFox Bottle That Water.esp
Root 'n Loot.esp
Atmospheric Lighting Tweaks TTW.esp
CIBS.esp
QwibNewBackpacks.esp
ClimbingNoWhoosh.esp
Weapon Retexture Project.esp
Titans of The New West.esp
JustAssortedMods.esp
Titans of The New West - Power Armor Sprint JAM.esp
AWO - TrenchRepeater.esp
ZoomingScope.esp
The Weapon Mod Menu.esp
Tammer's Ammo Type Tweaks.esp
Reload Reloaded.esp
Remington870SO.esp
M37Ithaca.esp
G3SG1.esp
Mateba.esp
ImmersiveRecoil.esp
FOVSlider.esp
FlashlightNVSE.esp
dD - Enhanced Blood Main NV.esp
FactionlessRangerCombatArmorVanilla.esp
CRHDV3O3.esp
Quickthrow.esp
B42Bash.esp
ArmedToTheTeethNV-Redux.esp
Animated Ingestibles.esp
Advanced Recon Tech - Detect Traps.esp
Detect Traps - DLC.esp
Advanced Recon Gear.esp
Advanced Recon Tech.esp
Stash Organizer.esp
The Mod Configuration Menu.esp
DarNifiedUINV.esp
JIP Improved Recipe Menu.esp
Glove_be_gone.esp
Real Rad-X.esp
Real Radiation Suits.esp
Real Radiation Suits- Science Suit Rad Protection.esp
pipboy2500_edisleado.esp
FO4PowerArmor.esp

It was a long trip. This is a long post. Apologies in advance.
HIGHLIGHTS (Days 1-14 of 28) KYOTO--Kiyomizu temple; Nanzenji temple; Nijo Castle; Sanjusangendo temple; Shugakuin Imperial Villa; Kinkakuji (Golden Pavilion); Fushimi Inari shrine; 184th Kamogawa-Odori geisha show HIMEJI-The castle and garden. NARA-Todaiji temple UJI-Byodoin temple IZU KOGEN--Jogasaki Coast nature trail
TOKYO, Monday 5/8
We arrived mid-afternoon at Tokyo/Haneda, right after Golden Week ended. It turned out to be, coincidentally, the day when the Japanese government officially downgraded the Covid pandemic to the level of a seasonal flu.
Fresh off a 13-hour flight and experiencing Japan for the first time, we went from touchdown to hotel check-in in something like 90 minutes, braving an almost-rush-hour crush on the Keikyu Line train from the Terminal 3 station.
Experience has taught us that meticulously planning every step of arrival in a new country is crucial to avoiding confusion, getting lost or simply wasting time.
Pre-loaded Suica cards on our smartphones led us straight to the train without standing in any lines.
We' chose the Shinagawa Station area of central Tokyo to spare our jetlagged selves another leg of indeterminate length--four or five hours at least--to reach our Kyoto base. Shinagawa is a straight shot--no transfers--from Haneda and a great place to catch a bullet train.
It was a geezer move that gave us plenty of time to familiarize ourselves with the layout and operation of one of Japan's busiest train stations.
Before crashing for the night, we'd taken care of some business by getting cash from an ATM and picking up reserved seat tickets for a post-Kyoto leg. We used a JR Railway ticket machine to print out the tickets, using QR codes emailed to us the previous month when we bought the tickets online directly from JR-East railway (we avoided costly middlemen in all our travel and entertainment purchases, something that requires planning but is easily doable from abroad). Like all our electronic machine transactions in Japan, there was an English language option on the touch-screen.
A machine also checked us in at the Prince Hotel Shinagawa, part of a modern high-rise development, chosen mainly for convenience. It's a one-block walk from the train station and was perfect for a couple jet-lagged Japan newbies. What we got, for the princely sum of $116 USD, was a spacious (by Japan standards) room on the 34th floor with a dead-on view of Tokyo Tower. Dinner was carryout sushi from the Queen's Isetan department store on the opposite side of the station, plus beer and sake from a convenience store, all consumed in the hotel room with Tokyo's skyline at our feet.
KYOTO , Tuesday 5/9
On the advice of an old Japan hand, we made Kyoto our base for the first two weeks. It worked well. We explored a fabulous city, took three day trips (Himeji/Osaka; Nara; Uji) and left town wishing we'd had time for more.
We expected our first full day to be a blur, due to jetlag, but it wasn't too bad. Following advice from this sub for first-time shinkansen travelers, we got to the station an hour early.
We bought far enough in advance on the Smart EX app to get a slight discount. We booked back row seats on the right-hand side for easy luggage storage but discovered that both our bags (including my larger one, which measures 142 cm [L+H+W]) also fit on the overhead rack. We never had luggage problems on trains during our trip.
Our train to Kyoto had great Fuji views, our first. After depositing the bags in a Kyoto station storage locker (rented with the smartphone Suica card), we made our first sightseeing stop: Toji Temple, a quick subway ride and walk away.
About picking hotels
We used triangulation to pick hotels; that is, cross-checking information from various sources to give us the best possible chance of getting a good place at a decent price. Sources included a handful of guidebooks from the public library, Trip Advisor and this sub.
Solaria Nishitetsu Hotel Kyoto Premier ($221 USD per night with massive breakfast buffet, best of the trip) turned out to be a great base. We paid extra for a room facing the Kamo River, a popular gathering spot for locals, tourists and joggers. We benefited from early booking (more than six months in advance, shortly after Japan began opening up). Inflation and other factors have since raised the price of the same room by about 10 percent.
The newish (opened in 2017) hotel attracts mainly Japanese/Asian travelers who, like me, enjoyed the onsen in the basement. We also put the coin-operated washedryers to good use.
KYOTO, Wednesday 5/10
Up and out, thanks to jetlag, shortly after 5 a.m., walking deserted streets to the foot of magical Kiyomizu temple, arriving just as it opened at 6 a.m. We were back at the hotel for breakfast by 8, after walking down the picturesque, cobbled streets of Sannenzaka, shops still closed, with more tourists starting to trickle in.
About choosing sightseeing spots
I'm a sucker for ratings, assuming they're done well. So, guidebook must-sees, like DK Eyewitness's or Lonely Planet's, star ratings in the Michelin Green Guide to Japan or in the downloaded Gateway to Japan guide (a steal at $10 and in your pocket for free on Kindle app) and, finally, Japan Guide's recommendations helped guide our steps.
That's how we ended up spending the afternoon at Nanzenji, a must-see Zen temple, which, like Kiyomizu, is laid out at the foot of the mountains east of town.
Lunch this day was at Junsei, a yudofo (boiled tofu) restaurant we stumbled onto near the temple. We used wooden sticks to skim the surface of an iron vat filled with simmering soy milk, that was set before us over a gas flame.
About finding restaurants
If you've never been to Japan but lurk on this sub, you've already heard that it's practically impossible to get a bad meal. We booked a handful of places before leaving home but agree with others that you rarely need to do that to eat well. If you're determined to hit a place that's highly popular, often with deep-pocketed foreign tourists, reservations may be required.
We're foodies, up to a point, but Japan's profusion of starred Michelin restaurants was wasted on us. We've learned over the years that we seldom enjoy paying the inflated cost. Over four weeks, we ate once at a Michelin one-star, chosen for other reasons.
That said, Michelin's Bib Gourmands (good, affordable restaurants) never disappointed us. They are plentiful in Japan, especially in Kyoto and Tokyo, and worth seeking out. Most of the time, though, we picked places to eat by cross-checking Google (asking for "soba noodles" near me, for example) and Tabelog, the indispensible crowd-sourced Japanese website (we looked for places in the 3.5 range).
Non-speakers of Japanese can have a hard time making reservations. We found that we could make them in advance from abroad through services like TableCheck (and an apparently expanding number of others aimed at tourists, usually charging a fee; sometimes small, sometimes steep). On the ground in Japan, we sometimes reserved for free through Google and Tabelog (at random places which you can find on Google or Tabelog restaurant listings); they were always honored. We also asked hotel reception desks for reservation help on occasion. We went to a couple restaurants in person and booked a table for later. But the easiest and often best way to get in is simply to arrive on the early side for lunch (by 11:30 or so) or dinner (between 5 and 5:30). More than once, we walked right into a place and were seated, only to discover lots of people waiting in line outside when we left. That said, if you're looking for an above-average meal on a Saturday night, especially in a popular location, you might want to book in advance.
Konbinis (convenience stores) are cheap, good and extremely reliable sources of takeout. And though we liked what we got there (mainly onigiri), we wound up relying on them less and less as the trip went along. The same was true of department store basements, which lived up to their reputation as fantastic food sources, for locals and tourists alike. We learned that we could often eat for the same amount or less in restaurants geared to locals or foreigners on limited budgets, rather than chowing down in our hotel room.
KYOTO, Thursday 5/11
We hit Nijo Castle in the morning and Sento Imperial Palace, one of several attractions we reserved in advance through the Imperial Household Agency. All were well worth it (and free of charge). The agency website explains the rules, which vary somewhat from site to site. We also toured Kyoto Imperial Palace.
About navigation
Just as the Google Translate app (and similar devices) have broken down language barriers, several travel apps have vastly simplified the business of getting around. Google Maps was our basic navigational tool and it rarely failed us. Another app that helped work in concert with Google Maps was Navitime's Japan Travel guide. Both provide alternate routes, detailed information on trains and stations and much more. Sometimes, when we popped out of subway station, we'd check the compass app on the smartphone to make sure we were heading off in the right direction. It doesn't hurt that public transit throughout the country increasingly uses English or romaji to translate Japanese. Over four weeks, we only found one place where we had trouble deciphering the destination signs on buses (oddly enough, in Himeji, a tourist magnet).
KYOTO, Friday, 5/12
A busy day started at Katsura Imperial Villa. Like other Imperial Household venues, a guided tour (in Japanese, but with free English audio guide) is the only way to see the place and its beautiful gardens.
We also caught a kabuki for beginners show at sumptuous Minamiza Theatre--tickets purchased online in advance--after briefly stopping by bustling Yasaka-jinja shrine down the street.
Dinner was our priciest splurge: Itoh, a serene, traditional style steak house in the atmospheric Gion neighborhood. We hadn't initially planned on eating Kobe beef, since we've pretty much given up beef in our everyday lives, but we were persuaded by a family member who correctly posed the question: If not now, when? Worth the steep tab ($264), not least because our table overlooked the tiny Shirakawa canal, the service was great and now we can say we know what Kobe beef is all about. Like buttah.
KYOTO, Saturday 5/13
We were at Sanjusangendo when it opened and glad we'd gone. The display of 500 life-size, gilded 1000-armed kannon in Japan's longest wooden structure was unforgettable.
We're museum people--either you are or you ain't--and the special exhibition at Kyoto National Museum on the 850th anniversary of the founder of Shin Buddhism was well worth it. Unfortunately, like most Japanese museums, photos were prohibited inside. In this regard, technically advanced Japan lags much of the civilized world; even Old Europe has greatly loosened such restrictions in recent years. Smartphone cameras can be a nuisance to other visitors, but they are a quick and easy way of capturing what you've seen and preserving it for later study.
Lunch was at Vegan Ramen Uzu Kyoto, a Bib Gourmand and the weirdest place we ate. Expanded availability of vegetarian ramen is a promising, healthier trend, and we enjoyed it at several places in Tokyo and Kyoto. A TableCheck reservation, made well in advance, got us seats at this cutting-edge spot. Dining is at a polished black surface in a darkened room bathed by the illumination of a giant, swirling teamLab artwork. Pricey but good.
KYOTO, Sunday 5/14
We're horseplayers and enjoyed a day at recently reopened Kyoto Racecourse, capacity 120,000. Betting is easy; just stop by the information desk for instructions in English.
Dinner at Tiger Gyoza Hall was lively, inexpensive and delicious. It was the only restaurant on our trip that we visited twice; reservable on Google.
KYOTO, Monday 5/15
No place put us through more hoops than Kokedera, better known at Moss Temple. It was well worth the difficulty of getting a needed reservation; if you do it by mail from abroad--the least expensive way to go--you need a couple months head start (and an International Reply Coupon, which you have to buy online from the Swiss Postal System). We got there and back via city buses. Along the way we crossed Togetsukyo Bridge in the very congested tourist hotbed of Arashiyama. It didn't make us regret our decision to skip the area.
Afterward we visited Ninnaji temple. Ryoanji temple and its famous rock garden (where noisy fellow tourists made a Zen experience impossible) and Kinkakuji, the incredible Golden Pavilion. The place was jammed but crowd control is excellent and we're glad we made it.
KYOTO, Tuesday 5/16
Shugakuin Imperial Villa, a vast imperial property of gardens and buildings (which you cannot enter) on the northeastern outskirts, was our favorite Imperial Household Agency site. We felt fortunate to get advance tickets through their lottery but saw that same-day tickets were also available there and at other Agency sites; it would be a long way to go, however, if all tickets were gone on the day you wanted to enter. Since we made a conscious decision to visit Japan after the cherry blossom and Golden Week crowds were gone, we have no idea what things are like during busier times.
We strolled the Philosopher's Path after lunch. Perhaps if it had been a quiet early or cherry blossom time, we might have been blown away. Instead, it was a rare disappointment. It struck us as a very conventional touristy trail; nothing special at all.
On the other hand, Ginkakuji (Silver Pavilion), near one end of the path, lived up to the hype. We capped the day by off by catching the procession of Aoi Matsuri, or Hollyhock Festival, one of Kyoto's three big annual festivals. The parade of hundreds of elaborately costumed people, some on horseback, highlighted by a pair of ox-drawn carts, was a hoot. What surprised us was the absence of music or any sort of percussion.
HIMEJI and OSAKA, Wednesday 5/17
A shinkansen whisked us to Himeji for a tour of the incomparable castle and impressive gardens. We took advantage of the unique Himeji Castle English Speaking Guide service, which generously provides personal tours with an area resident, in English, at no cost (book online in advance).
Lunch was at Mentetsu, a very good ramen shop at a mall located between the train station and the castle. Recommended.
We finished the excursion at Osaka's famous, crazy Dotonburi neighborhood, a cross between Times Square and Disney. Dinner was our first okonomiyaki, deliciously prepared at Okonomiyaki Mizuno (a Bib Gourmand). We're allergic to standing in line---life is too short--and we never waited more than 30 minutes for a table on our trip. They took our order at Mizuno while we were in line, and it was prepared before our countertop seats shortly after we got in. Oishī!
UJI, Thursday 5/18
Uji is renowned for its tea and Byodoin temple, best known for its elegant phoenix hall, which is pictured on the back of the 10 Yen coin. It was a great day trip, including lunch at a traditional local soba shop that served cold noodles sobayu style; you pour hot soba stock--the cloudy water the noodles were boiled in--into what's left of your soy-based dipping sauce and drink the (supposedly) healthy brew. Definitely the way to go. Mampukuji, a Zen temple, was a worthwhile stop before we caught a train back to Kyoto.
NARA, Friday 5/19
Our first day of heavy rain failed to dampen the visit to one of the best places on our trip. The town, a tourist favorite because, or in spite of, the overpopulation of overly friendly deer, is well-described elsewhere. We toured Todai-ji, with its giant Bronze Buddha, had lunch at the cute and delicious Pizzeria Trattoria Magazzino (Bib Gourmand) and checked out Kohfukuji temple, too.
KYOTO, Saturday 5/20
Fushimi Inari shrine, on almost every Kyoto must-see list, lives up to its reputation. We followed good advice from this sub and arrived early, a few minutes before 8 a.m. Already, crowds were building. We detoured from the main path through thousands of torii gates and wandered instead up an almost totally deserted sylvan trail on the south side of Mt. Inari, past bamboo groves, a few minor shrines and some houses. After about 45 minutes, we reached a set of stone stairs to the summit. From the top, we took the main path down, dodging the stream of fellow tourists as best we could and gaping at the gates and the view from the halfway point. We highly recommend this alternative way of seeing the best of two Fushimi Inari worlds.
We celebrated our last full day in Kyoto, and our 40th wedding anniversary, with a memorable kaiseki lunch at Hana Kitcho, a Michelin one-star booked weeks in advance from home. The beautifully decorated private room, attentive service, imaginative presentation, museum-quality stoneware and delicious food were certainly up to one-star standards.
The minute that advance online tickets went on sale for the 184th Kamogawa Odori, I jumped on them. The tourist-oriented geisha dance performance is held in May at a theater that overlooks the Kamo River. We were lucky to have been given seats in the front row and when one of the geishas tossed a white cloth package in my direction I snatched it. I now have an unexpected souvenir, a cloth banner autographed by the geisha herself. The fantastic show will remain in memory.
IZU KOGEN, Sunday 5/21
We left Kyoto for the Izu Peninsula and what turned out to be the best single night of our trip. Hanafubuki, a modern ryokan I learned about on this sub, was everything we could have wanted. It features 9 private outdoor onsens on beautifully landscaped property and elegant guest rooms with fluffy futons for sleeping on tatami mats. The ten-course dinner was exquisite. Breakfast, a seven-course feast that featured whole grilled horse mackerel and golden-eye sea bream, was simply amazing.
IZU KOGEN, Monday 5/22
A short walk from the ryokan is the scenic Jogasaki Coast nature trail, a rugged stretch of rocks and pounding surf. A guy I met there who introduced himself as Zeus, a Japanese native currently living in California and in town to visit his parents, compared the coastline to Monterey Bay. We could have used another night to allow us to explore the trail at greater length.
Lunch was at a great local restaurant, walking distance from the train station, Honke Maguroya, featuring local fish and top-grade tuna. The wasabi rhizome, which you grate yourself, is a tipoff to the quality of the sushi, but the prices are extremely reasonable. Recommended.
From there we headed back to Tokyo and the remainder of our trip. Highlights and a full (too full?) final report coming soon.

Hi everyone! This sub was so incredibly helpful to me in the planning process - I was deeply grateful for everything I learned, so I thought I'd post a trip report now that we're back!
About us: We're a 30s couple from the Midwest US. We're pretty experienced travelers (South America, UK/Ireland, Europe, lots of places in the US), but this was our first visit to Asia and first visit to Japan. As travelers, we love getting out on foot, local food/drink (especially street food), live music, nerd shit, weird art/vending machines. Also, my partner is a cis guy, but I am a trans masc person who is visibly trans (post-op in a few ways, but not passing/not stealth).
Dates: May 13 - May 29
What we did: Tokyo Kyoto Osaka Hakone Back to Tokyo
Tips and tricks:

• Definitely get your walking training in ahead of time! We walked 10 miles a day on the trip. We're pretty avid backcountry camping/hiking fans who regularly put in 8 - 10 miles on the trail (not to mention taking our dog for multiple walks a day in the neighborhood), so I figured we'd be good - but it was A LOT, especially since you're also trying to translate and navigate at the same time. Japan is not generally a super accessible place from a disability perspective; benches and public seating areas are not common. I found myself wishing I'd packed a collapsible seat of some kind, tbh!
• Good shoes a must! Merrell Moabs are my go-to for hiking, but for this trip I went with Nike Dunk 6 high-tops, which rocked. My partner went with Onitsukas and didn't do as well - he wound up buying inserts partway through the trip, which helped.
• Work on a little Japanese ahead of time! We came in with about a dozen words/phrases, which was honestly truly helpful. So many people are so kind and thoughtful anyway, but it was an appreciated gesture that we had planned ahead and were trying our best. Google Translate's camera feature (Google Lens) was a life-saver for translating written words on signs!
• We had a great experience with Ubigi for an eSIM. The days of purchasing an actual SIM card or even a burner device (like we used to do when backpacking in Europe) are long past. We hooked up our Ubigi eSIMs beforehand, flipped the switch when we got there, and we were golden. Just in case, we'd set up our Verizon coverage to include a Pay-As-You-Go international plan, but we didn't end up using it. We also didn't use half as much data as we thought we would - we both came home with extra GB on our Ubigi plan still. We didn't do a PocketWifi and I don't think we needed it - Ubigi did most of the heavy lifting, and free WiFi at various places did the rest.
• Fly into Haneda, not Narita - way closer to Tokyo city center.
• Get your Suica right away at the airport - our beloved Suica got us through so many things! We also withdrew some cash and split it up between us - we withdrew a few more times on the trip and it worked like a charm. (Just make sure it's an international ATM that includes your card type - not all of them do. Also, notify your bank you'll be traveling, so your card doesn't throw a flag!) We used our credit card as well - the Chase card was accepted pretty much all places CCs are, but many places remain cash-only, especially bars and restaurants.
• Had a great experience using the Friendly Limousine Airport Bus service straight from Haneda to our hotel area.
• I booked shinkansen tix ahead of time, so I got nice discounts on weekday Green Car tix for two - but I really needn't have worried, there were plenty of seats available day-of.
• Don't bother with shinkansen for Kyoto to Osaka - we wound up just hopping on a local with our Suicas and it was fine.
• Don't bother with the Romancecar from Hakone back to Tokyo - it's fastemaybe a nicer seating experience, but just hopping on a local with your Suica is an order of magnitude cheaper.
• Look things up in Japanese if using Google Translate; use Tabelog for restaurants if possible. Google Maps in English is more touristy reviews/reactions.
• Tokyo Skytree was hit-or-miss - only real letdown of the trip.
• Tokyo teamLab PLANETS was completely worth it - absolutely worth the hype in my opinion.
• Queer and trans travelers - I felt completely safe, but as a plus-size trans masc nonbinary queerdo, I stuck out like a sore thumb. I didn't feel in danger, but I was absolutely aware that I did not fit in. Stares were common, especially from older men and young kids. (Weirdly, local women seemed more friendly and curious about me!) Just be prepared for it and remember you're not in any danger physically - it's all just curiosity.
• I have to thank this subreddit for recommending Hakone, especially for the tip to book a ryokan with private onsen access. We had an absolutely beautiful experience at Yamanochaya in Hakone, which included both a private "onsen" soaking tub in our room and private 1:1 access to a larger, actual hot spring onsen on the property. I otherwise would not have been able to experience a real hot spring onsen at all, as they are gender-segregated. Thank you, /JapanTravel!

Because I'm a nerd, here's the actual breakdown!
DAY 1 ARRIVAL 📍 Flew into Haneda; made it to our hotel (lovely experience at Hotel Plaza Sunroute); had our first world-famous konbini 7/11 experience; walked around Shinjuku; went out for dinner at Ryu no Miyako Inshokugai - talk about jumping in the deep end 🍣 Onigiri and vending machine green tea; little whipped cream treats; Nagahama ramen and sesame mackerel donburi 👣 10,400 steps 🏁 4.8 miles
DAY 2 SHIBUYA 📍 Meiji Shrine and Gardens - got goshuin and omamori; Harajuku, went to 7/11; back to the hotel for a nap; Shibuya, including Don Quijote, Center Gai and Dogenzaka Street; Nonbei Yokocho for late night 🍣 7/11 (plum onigiri and corn/mayo sandwich, some kind of spam musubi situation, matcha roll); Ichiran coin-op ramen with extra chashu and a matcha tofu custard thing; banana shock smoothie at Shibuya109 in Center Gai; chicken and pork belly yakitori with beers at Morimoto; brown sugar shoju and shoju-infused Oolong tea cocktails at Tight Bar (strong recommend for this joint!); grilled squid, octopus, and okonomiyaki for afters at Tsukishima Monja Kuuya Shibuya 👣 32,000 steps 🏁 14.5 miles 😮‍💨
DAY 3 SHINJUKU 📍 Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden; Shinjuku area (including Disk Union, Disney, Onitsuka); Kabukicho and Kabukicho Tower; GODZ metal bar; Golden Gai; Omoide Yokocho 🍣 7/11 (onigiri, matcha filled roll thing, royal milk tea, tomago sushi, strawberry donut, cafe latte); many types of dango (sesame oil, soy sauce, and apricot mochi were our favs); McDonald's (weirdly good chicken sandwich with yuzu radish topping, vanilla custard chocolate pie, white grape soda); yummy little warm imagawayaki filled with adzuki bean paste + royal milk from depachika); a couple of Asahis at GODZ; simple yakitori snacks at Golden Gai (including some… mystery offal items); back to 7/11 for drunk matcha ice cream and waffle snacks 👣 28,800 steps 🏁 13.0 miles
DAY 4 ASAKUSA 📍 Went out for coffee; walked around Kinarimon Gate and Nakamise; toured Asakusa Shrine, Senso-ji Temple, surrounding Shinto and Buddhist shrines; stopped for sushi and mochi; went for a walk up Sumida River; dipped into Shoden and Imado shrines; crossed Kototoi Bridge to Tokyo Skytree; went up Tokyo Skytree; back to Senso-ji for night photos; capped off evening with gyoza 🍣 Lattes at cute puppet theater coffeeshop (espresso, dandelion tea); 7/11 for breakfast-y fuel; strawberries from a street stall at Nakamise; sushi lunch; beautiful mochi + tea dessert; grilled gyoza, soup dumpling gyoza, shoujo Oolong tea cocktail for afters 👣 25,500 steps 🏁 11.66 miles
DAY 5 JIMBŌCHŌ, AKIHABARA 📍 Train to Ichigaya - notable French-inspired neighborhood; breakfast at local French café; Yasakuni Shrine; Kanda River walk by Hosei University; Tokyo Daijingu Shrine; Jimbōchō Old Book Town; walked from there to Akihibara; hit up noodles, arcade, nerd shops (comics, TCGs/CCGs, retro video games systems, TTRPGS, etc); gachapons; hit up the bizarre rare vending machines 🍣 Vending machine coffee and milk tea; yummy French pastries (bacon and sour cream roll, quiche, sour cream raisin custard thing); had to try some avocado and cheese Doritos; cold udon with duck broth soup, curry rice for Chris; fish-shaped taiyaki with custard cream dessert treat; dope gyoza place ("weekday" version with pork and cabbage, shrimp and chili mayo, yakitori with tare, and shogayaki with onions) 👣 Forgot watch at hotel - we’ll say 10,000 steps 🏁 Guessing about 5 or 6?
DAY 6 TEAMLAB PLANETS, TRAVEL TO KYOTO 📍 Hit up teamLabs, had an amazing time exploring the exhibits - the infinite light crystal room was our fav; train to Tokyo Station; lunch at underground Ramen Street restaurants under the station - went with Soranoiro, one of the few veg/vegan ramen shops in Japan - delicious; shinkansen to Kyoto; out for nightlife in Kiyamachi-Dori and Pontocho 🍣 Quick 7/11 snacks; train snacks (pocky, coffee, little teriyaki cutlet sandwich); Soranoiro ramen bowls; killer yakitori we fried right at our table in izakaya in Pontocho (honestly probably a meal highlight of the whole trip); brown sugar shoujo; 7/11 for ice cream on the way back 👣 18,900 steps 🏁 8.63 miles
DAY 7 KINKAKUJI, NISHIKI, GION 📍 Kinkakuji Temple; bus back to Kiyamachi-dori; spent whole afternoon walking and eating street food at Nishiki Market; back to hotel for rest, laundry, rooftop drink; out for nightlife in Gion 🍣 Family Mart for coffee and doughnuts; Nishiki Market Street street food delights - seared yakitori style crab stick, little octopus chuka idako on skewers, kara-age on skewers, sea squid croquettes and beer, strawberry and adzuki bean mochi balls; mimosas and red wine; Kyoto Gion Okaru - geisha-decorated izakaya with insane curry udon bowls and beers; picked up box of mochi dango for dessert 👣 20,200 steps 🏁 9.07 miles
DAY 8 SHRINE DAY 📍 OK, this is a lot:

• Yasakajinja (we happened to be here while a young couple was having a Shinto wedding ceremony!)
• Yasui Kompira-gū (built 1170, shrine for ending bad relationships and starting new ones, has special stone that you pin your wishes to - many young girls will crawl through the stone to mark a breakup or wish for love)
• Kennin-ji (built 1202, large grounds - among the oldest in Kyoto);
• Reigen-in (part of Kennin-ji grounds, a Zen teahouse with a tea garden where they served adzuki bean buns with tea made from the actual hydrangeas of the tea garden outside!)
• Zenkyoan (boar shrine which we initially thought were cute hedgehogs)
• Kyoto Ebisu Shrine (dedicated to fishermen - we happened to be here during the shrine's annual mikoshi festival - a battalion of locals in traditional clothes, hoisting and dancing with the mikoshi around the neighborhood)
• Kodai-ji (built 1606, gorgeous grounds - we skipped the tour)
• Hōkan-ji/Yasaka Pagoda (dating back to 589 and rebuilt in 1400s, huge black 5-story pagoda featuring massive shakyamuni pole inside and reliquary of a bone of the Buddha in the foundations)
• Ryōzen Kannon (built 1955 after WW2, massive Buddha statue and active Buddhist temple)
• Of course the world-famous Kiyomizudera (built 778, enormous Kyoto-red temple with beautiful buildings spiraling up into the forest)

🍣 Hotel coffee, tea, cream puffs; adzuki bean buns with tea made from the actual hydrangeas of the tea garden at the shrine; dope bento box lunch; got takeout fast food donburi and fizzy lemonade 👣 22,800 steps 🏁 10.39 miles
DAY 9 FUSHIMI-INARI 📍 Fushimi Inari, the famous shrine of over 1,000 torii gates - super amazing (and intense!) summit of Mt Inari! Back to Nishiki Market for reward street food and drinks; back to hotel for a rooftop drink and soak; finally out for soba at Kawamichiya Ginka in Pontocho. 🍣 Snack pack on our hike (sausages, cheese, some kind of fish meat/cheese stick, and surume - sweet chewy dried squid stuff); orange smoothie; conveyor belt sushi; strawberry mochi roll; whisky highball and red wine; massive soba spreads (chicken seared with wasabi/yuzu/horseradish dipped in ponzu sauce, fried soba noodles in a rich soup, cold soba noodles dipped tsukemen-style in a really amazing umami soy sauce soup, tempura shrimp and veggies, a hot soba noodles in a clear broth soup) 👣 27,600 steps 🏁 Supposedly 12.3 miles, but that hike to summit Mt Inari was something else 😤
DAY 10 TRAVEL TO OSAKA, SHINSABASHISUJI, AMEMURA, DOTONBURI 📍 Beautiful brunch on the bank of the canal in Kyoto; local train to Osaka-Umeda; checked into Osaka hotel; walked around Shinsaibashisuji and Dotonburi a little bit; scoped out Amemura ("Ameri-mura") for dope American-inspired Japanese streetwear; wandered up and down street food stalls in Dotonbori; swung by Namba Hips (mostly pachinko); found a couple of fun little hole-in-the-wall places (little Japanese craft beer brewery, retro video games bar) 🍣 Brunch at Kawa Cafe (croque monsieur, ramen, tea and delicious apple tart); takoyaki, cheesy waffle shaped like a massive 10yen coin, sweet chili hotdogs from stands in Dotonbori; dashi gose craft beer (by Derailleur Brew Works) from Umineko, shots at Space Station bar 👣 19,500 steps 🏁 9.01 miles
DAY 11 NAMBAYASAKIJINA, DOTONBURI 📍 Morning Japanese breakfast at a wonderful little 24-hour diner; Hozen-ji (moss shrine); Kamigata Ukiyo-e Museum across the street (focusing on Osaka woodcuts celebrating Dotonburi's kabuki and entertainment history); Nambayasaka-jinja (lion head shrine); Den Den Town (Osaka's Akihabara); ended up at a cozy little kushikatsu bar which actually was playing the Tigers game (away game vs the Swallows at Tokyo); street food waffles for dessert; hit up a late-night batting cage - ended up at Round1 (a big multi-floor arcade complex) and did the rooftop batting cage! My partner won a giant plushie for me from a claw machine! 🍣 Dope traditional japanese omelette and fish breakfast; cute macarons from market stand; Family Mart for snacks before nightlife; skewers, beer, and highballs from Dotonbori kushikatsu place; ridiculous nutella, whip, and strawberry stuffed waffle from Waffle Khan 👣 29,100 steps 🏁 13.31 miles
DAY 12 KUROMON ICHIBA, OSAKA CASTLE, DOTONBURI 📍 Kuromon Ichiba Market for street food; Osaka Castle Park and Nishinomaru Gardens; toured Osaka Castle and museum all the way up to the top; subway to Tanimachi-9-chome subway station for amazing live jazz at Sub Jazz Cafe. (This was amazing! Akira "Ro" Hasegawa (sax) and Yukie Fujikawa (keys) - Ro is also the owner and was bartending on this particular night too.) Out to Don Don for killer yakiniku and beer; found our way to Oboradaren, an Tokunoshima-themed island vibes bar and music spot where there was a great live band playing fun island vibes beach rock - big crowd of 40s+ Japanese women who knew all the songs, wound up drinking passionfruit chuhai and joining them in the conga line around the bar 🍣 Oden hot pot, wagyu skewer, otoro sashimi, crab gratin in the half-shell, bracken green tea soy cakes at Kuromon Market; ice cream sandwiches at Osaka Castle; milk tea, little roast beef sandwich, and cheesecake at Sub Jazz Cafe; yakiniku-style wagyu, ribs, ox tongue, assorted mushrooms; passionfruit chuhai and red wine at the island vibes spot; taro and brown sugar boba teas 👣 23,000 steps 🏁 10.42 miles
DAY 13 KAIYUKAN, SHINSEKAI, DOTONBURI 📍 Fun trip to Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan; quick pass through Shinsekai; lunch at spot where you can fish your own catch from an indoor fishing boat pool; out for one last Dotonburi night - wound up getting konbini snacks and sitting on the waterfront talking and people-watching for hours 🍣 Not a banger food-wise, but interesting little spread at the fish-your-own place - huge prawn for grilling, kara-age, and fatty tuna nigiri for Max, tempura veggies and whitefish with doteyaki for Chris; from Family Mart, fruit smoothie, ice cup, and KitKat for Max, onigiri and lemonade for Chris 👣 19,100 steps 🏁 8.64 miles
DAY 14 TRAVEL TO HAKONE, HAKONE SHRINE 📍 Bombed to Shin-Osaka for an early shinkansen to Odawara; trained to Odawara to Hakone; dropped luggage off at ryokan, then bus to Motohakone; saw Hakone Shrine and Onshi-Hakone Park (as well as a segment of the actual Old Tokaido!); returned to ryokan for the night, where we were treated to a gorgeous 1:1 kaiseki from a Michelin-star chef, private hot spring onsen, and private in-room hot spring bath 🍣 Konbini snacks before shinkansen; snacks and coffee on train; late lunch in Motohakone (curry and soba, pork cutlet); incredible, massive multi-course kaiseki and sake for dinner, plus strawberry cake, champagne, and more sake for dessert 👣 13,900 steps 🏁 6.26 miles
DAY 15 HAKONE OPEN AIR MUSEUM, TRAVEL TO TOKYO, LAST NIGHT IN SHINJUKU 📍 Woke up in gorgeous ryokan; leisurely kaiseki breakfast with leftover cake; final soak in the private onsen; Hakone Open Air Museum - very cool; had kind of a challenging trip back but finally made it from Museum back to ryokan to bus stop to Hakone-Yumoto to Odawara to Shinjuku to the hotel 😮‍💨 Considering the last night as our real "last night" of the trip, our final night out in Tokyo was all just extra icing on the cake - went out for yakitori skewers and Asahi Superdrys in cozy alley in Omoide Yokocho, found really wonderful cake and tea dessert open late also in Omoide, hit up 🎵 Donki! 🎵 for a final round of bulk snacks and souvenirs, ended up on a late-night excursion to find Park Hyatt Hotel (featured in Lost in Translation); finished night at hotel watching the city go to sleep from our balcony 👣 22,700 steps 🏁 10.3 miles
FINAL SCORE 📸 Pics: 1,929 👣 Steps: 337,700 🏁 Miles: 153.78 (we averaged 9.6 miles per day, every day, for 16 days) 🇯🇵 “Nihongo jōzu!”: 4 (I know more proficient Japanese speakers are insulted, but it's honestly a pretty nice comment when you're at my level) 👶 Comments on how young we look/how we can’t possibly be celebrating our 10-year wedding anniversary: 3 ✨ Gratitude: Infinite.

This is the story info for Real Bout Fatal Fury Special.

• Real Bout Special strategy guide

Terry Bogard

Beloved Eternal Hungry Wolf

Profile
Fighting-style:	Martial Arts
Nationality:	American
Profession:	Freeter
Birthday:	1971.3.15
Age:	25
Height:	182cm
Weight:	82kg
Blood-type:	O
Hobbies:	Video Games
Favorite Food:	Fast Food
Dislikes:	Slugs
Most Important Things:	Jeff's Keepsake Gloves
Favorite Sport:	Basketball
Favorite Music:	Rock
Special Skill:	Accurately guessing a woman's measurements

The reason he started fighting was because the hatred that burned within. He wanted to become stronger in order to avenge his adoptive father. He doesn't really remember his parents. "My dad is Jeff Bogard... I'm going to be strong like Jeff."
Today, he has grown into one of the world's top-class martial artists. What did he find by crossing fists with so many opponents? He's not looking for answers with hatred. Perhaps he was just starving for affection.
"I've come to believe that fighting is the best way to understand each other. Everyone who fights has a reason and if they fight, they will understand."
He said this with a smile prepared for the real bout. He not only fights for strength but also with his opponent's heart in mind. That's how he fights.

Andy Bogard

Trains to surpass his brother

Profile
Fighting-style:	Koppō
Nationality:	American
Profession:	Shiranui Style Taijutsu Instructor
Birthday:	1972.8.16
Age:	24
Height:	171cm
Weight:	67kg
Blood-type:	A
Hobbies:	Training
Favorite Food:	Natto spaghetti
Dislikes:	Dogs
Most Important Things:	Photos from his training (with his master Hanzo Shiranui)
Favorite Sport:	Short Track
Favorite Music:	Silence
Special Skill:	Fasting

His posture is perfect no matter what he does. He has a rather small build but makes up for it with finely-honed senses.
He never hides his attitude even in battle. He specializes in sharp and speedy ariel attacks as a means of exhausting his opponent.
“By sharpening my nerves, I can imagine how the opponent will move next. If I can read his movements, I have the confidence to strike from any distance. Even if it's at a nose-to-nose distance. ”
He has made it his goal to surpass his older brother Terry Bogard. For that reason, he has studied all kinds of martial arts. But he has never been able to win against Terry's wild skills.

Joe Higashi

Hot-blooded Japanese Muay Thai boy

Profile
Fighting-style:	Muay Thai
Nationality:	Japanese
Profession:	Muay Thai Fighter
Birthday:	1972.3.29
Age:	24
Height:	180cm
Weight:	71kg
Blood-type:	AB
Hobbies:	Storage
Favorite Food:	Fried crocodile
Dislikes:	Dressing up
Most Important Things:	His Headband
Favorite Sport:	General martial arts
Favorite Music:	De Enka
Special Skill:	Numbers (99% success rate and personal conversation)

Joe Higashi, a man who can move anyone with his unconventional fighting style. He does not know the meaning of the word "retreat". He is arguably the greatest Muay Thai champion in history and is a spectacle of natural talent.
He says, "I'm thinking about the look on my face when I get punched. Now I feel like I'm going to get punched with a cool face." He may look like a jerk, but he is a real hero to the poor children of Thailand.
"I'm holding a muay thai class with the neighborhood kids, but they're dark. Everyone is desperately trying to get stronger because they can't eat, but they have a strong sense of duty and don't enjoy it. I'm not having fun That's why I won't lose in order to teach them how to fight a real bout."
He spoke really happily, his expression was impressive.

Mai Shiranui

Freedom is the way I live.

Profile
Fighting-style:	Shiranui Ninjutsu
Nationality:	Japanese
Profession:	Successor of Shiranui Ninjutsu
Birthday:	1974.1.1
Age:	23
Height:	165cm
Weight:	46kg
Blood-type:	B
Measurements:	87-54-90
Hobbies:	Dieting
Favorite Food:	Osechi
Dislikes:	Spiders
Most Important Things:	Grandmother's Memento Hairpin
Favorite Sport:	Japanese badminton
Favorite Music:	Heavy Metal
Special Skill:	Japanese dressmaking

Despite being a woman, she has become the rightful successor to the Shiranui Ninjutsu. Though, she has conflicting feelings about it.
"Because I don't know anything about her. I didn't know about Mochizuki at all..."
After the death of Shiranui Hanzo, her education has been under the supervision of senior citizens known as the Five Elders. They are Hanzo's beloved disciples, and they seem to have considerable skill, but due to their age, they have retired from teaching practical skills. Mai and Andy are learning from these old people. And although Andy enjoys their lessons, Mai doesn't seem to like them at all. For the old people, she was teaching them everything about their relationship with Mochizuki...
"Because I'm studying surrounded by grandpas..."
It seems her selfishness hasn't changed at all.

Sokaku Mochizuki

A man who fights with inner Shura

Profile
Fighting-style:	Shoden Mudo-ryu Bujutsu
Nationality:	Japanese
Profession:	chief priest
Birthday:	1946.7.3
Age:	50
Height:	176cm
Weight:	86kg
Blood-type:	A
Hobbies:	Shogi
Favorite Food:	Sweets (Shiruko Anmitsu)
Dislikes:	Shiranui Ninjutsu
Most Important Things:	Japanese sword (Memento of his teacher)
Favorite Sport:	Light swimming
Favorite Music:	Rokyoku
Special Skill:	Calming the spirit

He is the master of Shoden Mudo-ryu, and continues to use the Book of Secrets to cut off the root of Shura. As a result, he is attacked by Shura's delusions, losing control of his mind, and slowly becoming Shura itself. Could this also be due to the magical power of the Book of Secrets?
"I was prepared for this to happen. It's not like I'm completely shredded yet. The real bout is now."
After being defeated in the battle against the Shiranui-ryu, the Shoden Mudō-ryū established Shura-gari as the way of life for the school. And his psychokinesis was said to be the most powerful in history. Now, the battle will be with oneself. Because if he turns into a Shura, no one will be able to stop his power. His struggle for who he is may end Mudo-ryu's history, but that may be Mudo-ryu's long-awaited fate. How will he end up...

Bob Wilson

Cheerful Capoeirista

Profile
Fighting-style:	Capoeira
Nationality:	Brazilian
Profession:	Pao Pao Cafe 2 Manager
Birthday:	1974.5.15
Age:	22
Height:	184cm
Weight:	84kg
Blood-type:	O
Hobbies:	Dance (samba and reggae dance)
Favorite Food:	Fruits (apples, pineapples)
Dislikes:	Insects
Most Important Things:	His Family
Favorite Sport:	Basketball
Favorite Music:	Acid Jazz
Special Skill:	Ribbing

Bob Wilson, a proud Capoeirista. Together with his teacher, Richard Meyer, he continues to challenge all styles of martial arts.
From dance-like footwork to a variety of kicking techniques, he unleashes endlessly. If a stranger jumps in, he will surely make them dance their dance of death.
“There are many great martial artists like Terry in the world. But this time I won't lose to anyone. My capoeira has no blind spots."
His capoeira, which he claims to be the best, certainly has the beauty of perfection. The Pao Pao Cafe is bustling with customers every day to watch the beautiful martial arts. Their tireless challenge continues.

Hon-Fu

Kyushu boy from Hong Kong

Profile
Fighting-style:	Kung Fu
Nationality:	Hong Kong
Profession:	Detective
Birthday:	1966.8.21
Age:	30
Height:	176cm
Weight:	78kg
Blood-type:	O
Hobbies:	Sting operations (Currently on Confinement)
Favorite Food:	Jiaozi
Dislikes:	Rules
Most Important Things:	His Lover
Favorite Sport:	Cycling
Favorite Music:	Any female idol song
Special Skill:	Make things awkward

He still has a seat in the Hong Kong police force, and his reckless investigations continue to make the police's upper echelons nervous. On the other hand, he seems to be very much loved by the locals, and his whereabouts can usually be traced out by asking the townsfolk. Detectives who are this open to him are rare, but his ability to take action during investigations is extraordinary, and criminals who are targeted almost never escape.
He has never fired a gun in any of his investigations. He owns a pistol, but his prowess is questionable, and when he uses it, it is exclusively as a throwing weapon.
His favorite weapon is the nunchaku. Having mastered kung fu, he started using nunchaku under the influence of Bruce Reichi, a skill difficult for an average martial artist. However, he put on a sly face and said, "This is easier to use than a pistol. I'll just use this instead." He plays dumb but is a lot stronger than he looks.

Blue Mary

An agent who fulfills the request perfectly

Profile
Fighting-style:	Command Sambo
Nationality:	American
Profession:	Private Detective
Birthday:	1973.2.4
Age:	23
Height:	168cm
Weight:	49kg
Blood-type:	AB
Measurements:	86-54-85
Hobbies:	Motorcycle touring
Favorite Food:	Beef and Broth
Dislikes:	Cats
Most Important Things:	Leather Jacket
Favorite Sport:	Baseball
Favorite Music:	Ballads
Special Skill:	Forgetting about painful events

Born into a family that has produced excellent martial artists for generations, she is active as a free agent. Her good blood blossomed especially in her mastery of Commando Sambo. At first glance, she appears to be an ordinary woman with an intimidating physique. However, her mastery over Command Sambo has enough destructive power to easily destroy the human body.
"There are many fragile parts of the human body. All I have to do is to accurately capture them. Besides, I can't choose where my job is, so I search for the most effective way to fight on the spot."
She constantly researches and practices how to fight without waste. And as an agent, she can get the best results in any situation and any request.
"I'm the only true fighting professional in the world, and I won't lose to a weak martial artist. ”

Franco Bash

Burning! Father

Profile
Fighting-style:	Kickboxing
Nationality:	American
Profession:	Kickboxer (Recently returned to active duty)
Birthday:	1963.9.16
Age:	33
Height:	195cm
Weight:	115kg
Blood-type:	A
Hobbies:	Bodybuilding
Favorite Food:	Curry Rice
Dislikes:	People who bully his son
Most Important Things:	His son (Junior)
Favorite Sport:	Ice Hockey
Favorite Music:	Jazz
Special Skill:	Beer Chugging

Franco once retired from the kickboxing world for the sake of his family, who preferred stability over wealth and fame. But, his instincts did not allow him to forget the fight. With the understanding of his family, he made a comeback and returned to the championship as if his body was too blessed.
His super-heavyweight punches terrified his opponents and gradually isolated him.
"It's no fun if you don't have an opponent. From now on, I won't choose a ring. Any martial artist will be my opponent."
With no opponents in the kickboxing world, he ignited his passion for mixed martial arts fights. Since he is naturally good at punching, he is eager to fight against a super-heavyweight boxer. If Axel Hawk accepts the challenge, we'll see the biggest fistfight of the century...

Ryuji Yamazaki

Believe in his own strength

Profile
Fighting-style:	Self-taught Homicide Karate
Nationality:	Japanese
Profession:	Dark Broker
Birthday:	1963.8.8
Age:	33
Height:	192cm
Weight:	96kg
Blood-type:	A
Hobbies:	Knife Collecting
Favorite Food:	Horsemeat sashimi
Dislikes:	Labor
Most Important Things:	Anything related to his interests
Favorite Sport:	None
Favorite Music:	None
Special Skill:	Has no trouble going three days without sleep

Karate is the basis of his fighting style, but it can be said that his style has been established in another world of martial arts. His living environment consisted of levels of "live" or "die", "kill" or "be killed". He believes that martial arts with rules are a playful gathering of the most untrustworthy people.
"Why do you fight? Hehe... I like it. I just love the sound of bones cracking and flesh being cut."
He thinks there is no point in fighting other than carnage. He lives and breathes carnage. Trusting only his strength, he is insensitive and has nothing to bear. A wild and real bout feeds him, and that's what makes him terrifying.

Jin Chonshu

The strongest fist unleashed by the soul dwelling in the body.

Profile
Fighting-style:	Diwangquan
Nationality:	Chinese
Profession:	Unemployed
Birthday:	1980.6.6
Age:	16
Height:	170cm
Weight:	Unclear
Blood-type:	Unclear
Hobbies:	Trip
Favorite Food:	Spicy Foods
Dislikes:	Deep sea fishes (he's scared of their faces)
Most Important Things:	His brother
Favorite Sport:	All non-ball games
Favorite Music:	Anime music themes
Special Skill:	Sarcasm (no offense)

Jin's Book of Secrets is said to have been sought after by all fighters aiming to become the strongest in its long history. These brothers are ordinary boys who remain innocent and seem to live in a world completely unrelated to them. However, fate formed them as multiple personalities.
"We sometimes have unconscious moments. Neither I nor my brother can remember what we were doing during that time."
In this unconscious time, he suddenly transforms into a fighting machine like a demon god. His personality is controlled by the soul of his ancestors who are wrapped in the Book of Secrets, and his body begins to make full use of Diwangquan. Teioken, the origin of all fighting styles, has now been revived in this world through their bodies.

Jin Chonrei

Emperor's fist that never weakens

Profile
Fighting-style:	Diwangquan
Nationality:	Chinese
Profession:	Unemployed
Birthday:	1980.6.6
Age:	16
Height:	170cm
Weight:	Unclear
Blood-type:	Unclear
Hobbies:	Snowboarding
Favorite Food:	Almond Tofu
Dislikes:	Effort
Most Important Things:	His younger brother
Favorite Sport:	Any individual sports
Favorite Music:	None
Special Skill:	Fashionability

Jin's Book of Secrets is said to have been sought after by all fighters aiming to become the strongest in its long history. These brothers are ordinary boys who remain innocent and seem to live in a world completely unrelated to them. However, fate formed them as multiple personalities.
"We sometimes have unconscious moments. Neither I nor my brother can remember what we were doing during that time."
During this unconscious time, the Jin brothers suddenly transform into fighting machines like demon gods. Their personalities are controlled by the souls of their ancestors wrapped in the Book of Secrets, and their bodies begin to make full use of the Diwangquan. Teioken, the origin of all fighting styles, has now been revived in this world through their bodies. And the Jin brothers are led to the unconscious battlefield. They fight with a fate that is too sad...

Duck King

Splendid Dancing Fighter

Profile
Fighting-style:	Martial Arts
Nationality:	American
Profession:	Professional Dancer
Birthday:	1967.2.2
Age:	29
Height:	179cm
Weight:	62kg
Blood-type:	B
Hobbies:	Dance, dance, dance!
Favorite Food:	Buttercorn
Dislikes:	The Rising Tackle
Most Important Things:	P-chan the chick
Favorite Sport:	Street basketball
Favorite Music:	Rap Music
Special Skill:	American jokes (too cliché to laugh)

There may be martial artists who hate losing, but it's rare for their competitive attitude to drive their actions. When he was a boy, he dreamed of becoming a dancer, but he was a delinquent in his neighborhood. His dancing talent was certainly the best in the street, and there was no one who could surpass him. Why did the boy choose the path of a martial artist?
"At that time, I was so frustrated that I couldn't sleep at night. That kid, Terry, made a fool out of me."
After that, he followed Terry to every fighting tournament. "My life has gone crazy because of him. By this time, I was changing the world's club scene. Terry is a big star who can't be called out. ”
He believes that they'll be even after he beats Terry.

Kim Kaphwan

The road to becoming the strongest continues

Profile
Fighting-style:	Taekwondo
Nationality:	Korea
Profession:	Taekwondo master
Birthday:	1964.12.21
Age:	32
Height:	176cm
Weight:	78kg
Blood-type:	A
Hobbies:	Karaoke
Favorite Food:	Grilled meat
Dislikes:	Evil
Most Important Things:	His 2 sons
Favorite Sport:	Gymnastics
Favorite Music:	Mood song
Special Skill:	Enduring hot baths

Kim Kaphwan, a man who is said to be undefeated for 10 years in the taekwondo world. One of the primary reasons why he has risen to this level is his passion for taekwondo. He believes that it is the strongest martial art in the world. What does taekwondo mean to him?
"I fight to prove the strength of taekwondo. I hope it will give confidence to the people and country I love."
He spoke eloquently to convey his feelings for his loved ones. Taekwondo is said to be more popular than karate. However, due to the small number of onstage practitioners, it gives the reverse impression. It's not strange that his fight is the dream of his native people.

Billy Kane

Who are you fighting for?

Profile
Fighting-style:	Bojutsu
Nationality:	English
Profession:	Geese's Entourage
Birthday:	1966.12.25
Age:	30
Height:	179cm
Weight:	77kg
Blood-type:	B
Hobbies:	Washing
Favorite Food:	Egg dish
Dislikes:	Order
Most Important Things:	His younger sister
Favorite Sport:	Pole Vaulting
Favorite Music:	Punk Rock
Special Skill:	Playing long guitar solos

He has the mark of the world's No. 2 and the world's best right hand, but it always been that way. Especially in terms of fighting habits, he is in a position to reign over the world against Joe Higashi and Ryuji Yamazaki. The reason why he devoted himself to No.2 was his encounter with Geese Howard.
Until then, the people around him had only seen him as hypocrites who wanted to see his complexion. However, the man named Geese confronts him with his strength. After being shown a huge difference in ability, he devotes himself to the role of Geese's assistant. For Geese, he was the most trusted subordinate and played a key role in Geese's strides forward.
"My boss will always be Geese, forever."
For him, Geese is the best person he can trust from the bottom of his heart.

Cheng Senzan

The Fighting Merchants Will Rise Again

Profile
Fighting-style:	Taichi
Nationality:	Taiwanese
Profession:	Businessman
Birthday:	1952.8.10
Age:	44
Height:	160cm
Weight:	130kg
Blood-type:	O
Hobbies:	Savings
Favorite Food:	Ramen
Dislikes:	Bimbos
Most Important Things:	Money
Favorite Sport:	Tennis
Favorite Music:	Pop Music
Special Skill:	Playing mahjong all night (his record is four days straight)

Based in Hong Kong, he is active as a promoter who fights by himself. He is based on Taijiquan, but has studied with Tung Fu Rue long ago and is also familiar with bajiquan. His talent flourished during his time as a Hakkyokuseiken, but his innate money-making philosophy drove him to be expelled.
"I did a street fight that was forbidden by Master Tung. Moreover, I played match-fixing and lost on purpose. At that time, Tung was furious." At the time, he used Hakkyokuseiken, so his betting odds were biased against him. So he got a second party to bet on him, and he played the match beautifully.
After that, he could no longer claim to be a user of Hakkyokuseiken. But his skills, as well as his innate commercial spirit, were all genuine.

Tung Fu Rue

The essence of Hakkyokuseiken is now here...

Profile
Fighting-style:	Hakkyokuseiken
Nationality:	Chinese
Profession:	Hakkyokuseiken Master
Birthday:	1924.4.14
Age:	72
Height:	163cm
Weight:	46kg
Blood-type:	A
Hobbies:	Meditation
Favorite Food:	Cha-tamago
Dislikes:	Extravagance
Most Important Things:	Disciples
Favorite Sport:	Taichi
Favorite Music:	Folk music
Special Skill:	Assimilating with nature

He is the founder of Hakkyokuseiken and a great master who trained many martial artists. He has fought an extraordinary number of times and is a living encyclopedia who has personally studied all martial arts. The essence of Hakkyokuseiken lies in the control of "Ki". Among his disciples, Geese Howard was the one who was able to harness his Ki. The man with the highest potential for it was Terry Bogard. Whose father, Jeff, was also one of Tung's beloved disciples.
“Jeff Bogard was the role model for a martial artist. That's why I chose him as my successor. I didn't expect that to happen... ”
A long time ago, Jeff and Geese fought for the throne of succession. Geese, who lost, killed Jeff.
He decided to remain active for the rest of his life and stopped taking his students, the only exception being Terry Bogard.

Laurence Blood

A crazy matador that invites silence

Profile
Fighting-style:	Self-taught matador assassination techniques
Nationality:	Spanish
Profession:	Stroheim Castle Guard Captain
Birthday:	1960.9.4
Age:	36
Height:	195cm
Weight:	95kg
Blood-type:	B
Hobbies:	Playing Flamenco guitar
Favorite Food:	Beef stew
Dislikes:	Women and children
Most Important Things:	Honor
Favorite Sport:	Fencing
Favorite Music:	Flamenco
Special Skill:	Sidelong glances (he's overconfident about it)

He was a hero in his native Spain as a matador who fought bullfights with his bare hands, but people gradually hated him for his brutal fighting style. It was Krauser who took an interest in him, and the insane matador later became Krauser's right hand and played an active role. Since he became part of Krauser, he has been fighting exclusively against humans, but his style hasn't changed at all. The maddening battle will have no choice but to silence the viewer.
"Fufu... Maybe I went too far again. But that's how fighting is supposed to be. Beasts instinctively attack you until you can't move."
Ironically, as he changed his battlefield, his madness only grew more radiant.
Is there no one in this world who has the power to stop him other than Krauser?

Wolfgang Krauser

Proud Supreme Warrior

Profile
Fighting-style:	Mixed Martial Arts
Nationality:	German
Profession:	Lord of the Stroheim Castle
Birthday:	Unclear
Age:	Unclear
Height:	200cm
Weight:	145kg
Blood-type:	A
Hobbies:	Medieval antique collecting
Favorite Food:	Rare Steaks
Dislikes:	Vanity, falsehood
Most Important Things:	Chivalry
Favorite Sport:	Not interested in sports (but able to do anything)
Favorite Music:	Classical
Special Skill:	All forms of gambling (he's surprisingly stingy)

The head of the prestigious Stroheim family behind the history of Europe. He possesses the most excellent body and fighting senses among the successive family heads. In other words, he got everything at a young age.
“Art is the ultimate, and my struggle exists in that realm. Like Mozart and Gotti, I am a fighting genius.”
He treats fighting as an art, and tries to satisfy his desires by perfectly he beats his opponents. As if creating a work, the energy of the battle is full of madness. The boredom of his fame has shaped him into a top-notch predilection, and he continues to search today for prey to serve as the subject matter for his future masterpieces.
Krauser pursues an endless search even in the underworld. All for myself...

So I realized I had just enough free time this afternoon to make a loaf of Irish soda bread. I'm fairly certain the dairy I buy buttermilk from is shorting the amount they put in their pints - my recipe calls for 2 cups, and I've never gotten a full 4 cups (2 batches) out of a pint. So before I made this batch today, I took the remaining [what I though was a] half of a pint from the fridge and measured out the buttermilk to make sure I'd have enough. I used a 2-cup Pyrex cup. I ended up being a full half-cup short! I knew the dairy couldn't be shorting me that much!
So I took my 2-cup Pyrex and my 1-cup Pyrex, and using my 1-cup plastic measuring cup, filled them with their respective labeled capacities of water. 2 plastic cups of water came out to almost exactly 2 cups on the big Pyrex. But one plastic cup was significantly less than the 1-cup mark on my small Pyrex!
This explains why my last batch of bread, which was made using 2 measures from the 1-cup Pyrex, was unusually wet (I usually use the 2-cup), and why I'm extra-short on ingredient this time! Plus, everything made with that cup for the last 30 years (it was my mother's, I recently stole it) was wrong!
/rant
Check your measuring tools against each other and/or against a scale!