To refresh your memory, these tasks MUST be completed by the end of Saturday (Scroll Time) each week, for you to stay in the race:

1. There will be a 'Story' thread in Fiction and Poetry that you must contribute to TWICE a week, on different days, as the character you have been assigned.

2. Your must write in a diary thread as often as you like. Write in character in your diary, commenting on the action in the story thread, sharing your personal thoughts about aspects of the race, etc.

In addition, you must also complete a weekly task, by the end of each Saturday (Scroll Time).

********************

SECOND WEEKLY TASK

For your second task you have been assigned a country. This has been done by drawing up an alphabetical list against the numbers you first chose.

In THIS thread you will need to post pictures of food, clothing, drink, and an animal particular to that country.

********************

DON'T FORGET! Points will be awarded by Zeus and Hera for the most CREATIVE contributions, each week.

The person with the least points at the end of each week will be BOOTED!

The race continues ... can you survive?

Now my lovely... come with me, we have better things to do than ahng around with these mortals.

Meet me at the sky pillar on Olympus.

I'll be wearing feathers.

Just feathers.

Don't let Autolycus catch you in Peacock feathers...

I'll be the one wearing nothing at all....

There was a mistake in that list, my love, so I've reposted it.

Bring honey with you.

THE LIST

Sara / Eve - Australia
xenacrazed / Aphrodite - Brazil
Smirk Morgan / Callisto - Canada
eyezoom / Alti - China
Xexy / Gabrielle - England
Madogis / Caesar - France
Heitie / Xena - Germany
Moonshade / Joxer - Italy
Opera Xena / Minya - Japan
Nanzar / Eli - New Zealand
Shawn / Amarice - Russia
bailey / Ephiny - Sweden

i don’t have time to be distracted from my plans...evil waits for no one. i’ll just glean a few of Xena’s memories of her travels in Chin...

food: apparently a lot of Chinese people don't eat meat...





clothing: casual

festive

functional


drink: tea is a staple of Chinese life. just make sure it is not being served to you by a mortal enemy hellbent on revenge...


animal: strange...when i search her memories for an image of an animal she encountered in Chin, i keep getting this:

that’s just a thing of beauty isn't it...suitable for framing, really.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: zoom,

France


Food: Escargot


Clothing: Beret, stripy shirt


Drink: Wine


Animal: Poodle

The afro considers what to do about the murder of Ares. Revenge or change god-gang affiliation or ??? It takes a lotta of brainpower for the afro to think, and the afro rests upon very little brainpower. Perhaps food will help dite decide what course of action to take. Some Brazilian food. My chef, Chef X, also a Prof at Olympia Culinary College-University of Luscious Tastes (OCCULT), will prepare my din-din.

I want a Chicken Ximxim (chicken stew with shrimps)...



Aw Chicken Ximxim, i remember once when i noticed Amarice all sad & lonely, wandering across amazon lands. I decided to treat her to a meal of Chicken Ximxim. All she could say was, "In my tribe, the chicken is prepared this other way..." or "In my tribe, the shrimp aren't so shrimpy as these are..." or "In my tribe, we had more spicey portions..." Yadda yadda yadda, so i poured the Chicken Ximxim on her head and left ha ha ha HA gotta love me!

and some Risotto Al Gorgonzola (white rice with cheese- i like cheese!)...



Risotto Al Gorgonzola, ah i recall a future mortal named Fallc Hope. She has this big crush on poor Ares. She prayed to me- back in my love days- for Ares to love her. "Pleeeeeeze, dite, let Awes oh Awes fallc for fallc, pleeeeeeze!" Enuff awready, i said! Awes a busy dude, i told fallc, and he's too attached to Xena. So i had some Risotto Al Gorgonzola made and hoped fallc would get attached to it. Sure enough, she became obssessed with cheese and with rice, but still she couldn't drop Awes. Well, i tried!

and to drink, a pitcher of Caipirinha (lime with cachaça ((sugarcane liquor))...



No Caipirinha for Minya, me thinks it's her rum that makes her change sides & loyalities so much.

MMMMMmmmmm that'll get my juices cookin'!

This message has been edited. Last edited by: xenacrazed,

Now infused with real power, now that i let go of the meaningless nonsense that are the liars I've met--i now have the power to soul travel, and have gone to Japan--nice to get away from time to time, experience some good food and wine--now that i'm more clear, i can focus on the REAL mission! YES!


Food; Power in itself.
Temaki
Temakizushi (literally: hand rolls) are cones made of nori seaweed and filled with sushi rice, seafood and vegetables.

Drink: Rice wine

Clothing--Samarai armor


VESPERTILIONIDAE Eastern Bent-winged Bat--Body length 5.9-6.9cm. Tail length 5.1-5.7cm.
This bat has a slender wing

Bats are misunderstood--but they have more power than many give them credit for! Still--they need no credit--they have truth

Italia, eh...? Right...


Pasta, I say!!!


Italian folklore, how about that, eh?


How about beer from Pisa? No good?


How about this, then? You do know I know my bevereges.... Even if I can't spell...


And how about a cat from Venice?



PS I am so looking forward to see what bailey / Ephiny will do... *grin*

https://bingoze.com/eve/forums?a=tpc&s=785604191&f=146601791&m=433109485&r=433109485#433109485

please.

Oh phooey, i spilt some Brazilian food on my afro (don't ask), and now must whoosh to Brazil for some Chicken Ximxim spot remover.

*whoooooshes to Brazil*

hmmm, what is this i see?



and this-



not that the above photo doesn't have a head, it just that my eyes keep heading south or something.

Now what was it i came to Brazil for?

Such a warm country, Brazil. Ppl don't wear much but then what about moi when i was into the love thing? i stop at store and buy me something to drink-



MMMMmmmm tastes like creme soda. I bet Gabby would like this. She drank a lotta creme soda when we had that sleep-over. And she burped like a madwoman! But i need something stronger-

how about some Passion Fruit, with a lotta cachaca *hic*



hope i *hic* don't crash into *hic* anyshin onns *hic* muh whey backies *hic* ta Ollympusss *hic*

so's i bess *hic* half sum cofff*hic*ee b'4 i heed back *hic*

Dite's afro brought some pals from Brazil home. Actually they escorted me home cuz i was too drunk to make it on my own.

This is a Golden-rumped Lion Tamarin who for some strange, unkown reason i've named gabris-



...and there's this cutey, a Buffy-headed Marmoset, who i call Buffy the Eli Slayer! Gotta love me! You know Eli will be fooled by Buffy's cute face, then Buffy will bite his head off. Awwwwwww!...



...and amazingly swimming along in space beside me was this Amazonian Manatee. I bet Ephiny & Amarice would like for Mannie to live in Lake Medosa but we'll see...we'll see...

Food:
It's a scary place to eat, but Back Bacon is a delicacy among the denizens of the Great White North


Clothing: While some would dismiss Canadian high fashion, they would miss out on flannel and Toukes.


Drink: Now, I don't mean to perpetuate a stereotype that Canadians are all beer-swillers...but a national drink that just cries out for attention is:



Animal:

Well,first of all I want to thank you all for giving me this opportunity to show some of my cultural knowledge and expertice and...*is pulled off stage with a large cane* *blech!*

Ok ladies and gents!

First of all the English have three meal times a day.Traditionally they are:

Breakfast- between 7:00 and 9:00 a.m.
Dinner(the main meal)- between 12:00 and 1:30p.m.
Tea- anywhere from 5:30p.m. to 6:30 p.m

A traditional take out food is fish

and chips

Tradional clothing can look like armour

or a toga

England's national alcoholic beverage is Gin!Woohoo!

England's non-alcoholic beverage is tea!

One of England's native animals is the cute little European Hedgehog.I personally think they're adorable.Talk about a bad hair day though.

Another cutey is the Eurasian otter

Hope you all enjoyed my little presentation! Cherio!

This message has been edited. Last edited by: XexyWarrior,

When I was told to research the land known as Russia, I called upon a fellow Amazon sister Anastasia Beaverhausen from a far norther tribe to help with my task.

Seems that nothing is wasted in Russia, the even eat the eggs taken from gutted fish. It's called Caviar, but I didn't much care for it myself.


When I asked what they drank in Russian, Anastasia said, "You say potato, I say Vodka." I wasn't sure what she meant, but when she made me try it, I sort of understood.


Then I asked about clothing, she said something about Stoli. I thought she was still on the vodka (If you knw what I mean) but she said, "No honey, stole it's a fur wrap, softer than a baby bottom."


Turns out that most all of Rusia is pretty cold and there are a lot of bears.

after my ceremony of majority, i'd heard stories of the vikings, and now being of age, i set off to pursue them. so I left for the Land of Svear with hopes of joining the legendary adventures. i had money saved, not enough mind you, but i set off anyway, leaving my tribe for greater adventures. i worked my way across the sea on a merchant ship, mostly feeding the crewman. when we arrived in the country i could hardly contain my excitment.

once off the ship, i realized i had nowhere to go, so i just followed the crowd, not sure where we were going, but being young enough not to care. around the last bend and through the last grove of trees i could not believe my eyes. this simple village was engulfed in celebration. elaborate tables were laid strewn with food. i turned around where i stood. this was not a celebration for me, i sit at no one's table uninvited.

a rough hand was placed upon my shoulder. "Child, you come eat. You must be tired from the journey." i looked up into the kind eyes of a large matronly woman with her arm spread to the feast before me.


i nodded my compliance. i stepped to the table and took three of the closest things to me and hurried to a tree just on the outskirts of the celebration. i crossed my legs at the ankle and uncerimounsly plopped myself down in front of the tree. i leaned over the plate in my lap and inhaled my food as fast as possible. once finished, and now more at ease, i leaned against the tree and took in the activity around me.

lost in my thoughts of a small boy throwing a tantrum at his mother's feet, i did not sense the stranger's approach. "may i sit down?" i heard with the thick accent i was so infatuated by. i looked in the direction of the stranger, with the sun behind her, bathed in shadow. i nodded my agreement. she gracefully brought herself down to the ground, and sat just off of my left.

"you are not from here, no?" to which i nodded no. "i find you interesting. i would like to hear your stories of land that's not here."

her accent was intoxicating. i just looked at her. studied her. trying to read her true intentions. she was gorgeous. fair skin, sky blue eyes, hair the color of shining wheat, cut perfectly just even with her shoulders, framing her face. not much older than me. well toned body, she wore a simple shirt, the sleves short to show off her arms, and a skirt of an earthly tone. i began to feel inadeqete with my fur and leather covered body. i felt oddly out of place. studying her face, i found no sign of misgivings. i decided to trust her, for now.

"i am from greece. i'm here seeking adventure." i say to her.

"you have wonderful accent. talk more for me?" she replies, smiling.

now i'm feeling shy. what to say? "thank you." was all i could come up with. she shoots a smile at me and jumps up, leaving me alone again. i see her, she's all i see. she heads to the table and picks and chooses several items. nodding her head at herself, she heads back in my directions, retaking her place at my side. she hands me the plate, still smiling.

"this is hwæl. one got stuck on the land, just in time for our feast. and these are bláber, they are sweet and juicy."



"and this is osyrat kornbröd."



this time, i paced myself, eating and tasting the food. the hwael i was not too fond of, but ate it anway, if for nothing else, just to see her smile again. the blaber was sweet, just like she said, and reminded me of the berries at home. the kornbrod was very good as well. as i ate, she explained to me how each was made and what from. the whale was alot easier to eat before i knew it was whale. i let her voice carry me through the meal. at then end i smiled at her.

"thank you. why are you so sweet to me?" i asked.

"you are stranger. you have no one. i like the way you talk. you keep me company tonight yes?"

how could i resist. "i would love to. you are most kind."

"you thirsty, i get drinks." she replied, and before i could offer, she was gone. i followed the sway of her hips as she made her way to the tables. and i followed the glint in her eye as she made her way back. she stopped in front of me, holding out the horn for me to take, before placing herself in her previous spot.

"bjórr." she said to me while fixing her skirt around her feet.



i took in it's aroma then a sip. it burned a little at first, then had a sweet finish. after my glass, i felt much more at ease. before she had a chance to notice, i stood abrubtly and snatched her glass from her hand. i winked at her and went to the table to refill our glasses. handing her hers, and retaking my seat, i realized i'd forgotten something very important.

"can i ask your name?" i smiled, already knowing my answer would be yes.

"mikaela, and you are?" she looked at me expectantly.

mikalla, mikalla, i rolled the sound around in my mouth. "ephiny."

"nice to meet you, ephiny." she held her hand out.

"same to you, mikaela." i took her hand in mine, it was incredibly soft. and warm. and strong. my hands were much smaller than hers. there was a power hidden in these hands.

we sat in silence, very near to each other, just content with the closeness. i knew my reason for needing the companionship, but not hers. we each took turns retrieving more bjórr.

i was in a hazy state of sheer contintment, when she spun, very suddently from the ground. she grabbed both my hands, with that hypnotizing smile of hers, and pulled me from the ground. i was too confused to notice where we were going. then she stopped, spun around and faced me, and started dancing with the drums and the melodic horns. i needed no more invite than that. my feet had been twitching to dance since first hearing the drums. we must have danced forever.

i was nearly out of breath, and as reading my mind, the drums slowed, as did the horns. she moved nearer to me, and placed her arms around my waist. she pulled me close to her body. i gently put my arms around her neck and followed the sway of her hips to the beat. she leaned close to my ear.

"this is last song of night."

i said nothing, only nodded. i allowed her scent to invade my senses. the smell of her hair, her skin, her clothes. the smell of the sweet bjórr on her breath as she spoke. the song ended and she held onto me for a bit longer than i expected.

then, again, grabbing my hand, we were off. she swung by the table, grabbed the bottle, and headed off in a direction unknown to me. we neared a barn.

once inside, she flung us down in the hay, where we giggled and rolled about. once settled, i noticed she still held my hand in hers. i rolled to my side, to face her. she was still smiling, which made me smile. we just layed there, staring at each other. her eyes were beautiful. and her mouth was so perfectly shaped. she sat up, taking a drink from the bottle, and passing it to me. i followed suit and took a long pull. wiping the extra from my mouth i turned towards her.

"you missed little. right here." she reached out and with those incredibly soft finger, brushed the remaing remnants of liquid from my lip. she allowed her hand to linger for a moment, in which i delicatly kissed those fingers, a payment of thanks. she moved her hand slowly, never leaving my face. she caressed my cheek, holding my face in the palm of her hand. i closed my eyes, allowing the sensation that was her to take over. my breath caught in my throat as i saw her head slowly inch forward, closer towards mine. her eyelashes fluttered shut and i could pick out the minute details of her face. as our lips met, my eyes closed, and all i knew was her softness and sweetness.

we awoke that morning, with her arms wrapped around me. the lover's dance we shared the night before still fresh in my mind. i smiled and rolled over, kissing her nose. her eyes opened ever so slowly, but i was rewarded with a color i would always hold in my mind. we disentangled ourselves from each other. she sat up, stretching her limbs. i followed suit. as soon as i was upright, the fogginess in my mind closed in on me. what was in that stuff? she smiled at me. i loved it when she did that.

she pulled her hands behind her neck and removed a cord from around her neck. she placed herself behind me, knotting the cord around my own.
"my father gave to me. it is odin. he is allfather of the aesir. he is viking. it protect you when you go on your jouneys."



before i had time to completely assess myself, she was dragging me out of the barn in an excited jog.

"come, i want to show you."

she let go off my hand and took off at a lighting fast pace. i followed as best i could, her legs being longer than mine, and her head, obviously clearer. halfway through the woods, i heard a sound. several sounds actually. i know that sound. animals, large ones, on the move. i looked right, i could see them. a heard, on the move. deer of some sort. i squinted, reindeer.



running from a predator of some sort. i looked to mikaela. they would meet. i shouted for her. she was lost in her own thoughts of running and the breathing in her ears. i screamed for her to stop. i ran as fast as i could, legs melting with every pump.

and then they met. the first several dodged her in their panicked state. but the large one in the middle could not make the manuever. they collied with such force that they both fell and rolled. i couldn't differentiate between the two forms. they stopped, and the reindeer quickly came to his feet and limped off in the direction of his herd. i couldn't move because she wasn't moving.

maybe i thought that if i didn't see the end result, it wouldn't be real. as i walked closer to her, i keep saying in my mind, 'this isn't real, she didn't get run over by a reindeer.' but alas, it was real.

i lost my first love that day. i couldn't bear the pain of seeing all the things we'd shared. this was her land and i couldn't hear the accent without crying. i left. there was nothing here for me. i no longer seeked journeys. i sought the comfort of my tribe. and that's where i headed.

all i had left of her were my memories and her necklace. i would treasure that necklace for all my years to come.

and now, well now i want it back.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: bailey,

Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu is believed to be the longest place name in the world. It means ‘'place where Tamatea, the man with the big knees, who slid, climbed and swallowed mountains, known as land-eater, played his flute to his loved one’. This name is usually shortened to Taumata.

Other interesting facts about New Zealand can be found at Eli Visits New Zealand

Here is something I brought back from my trip!
(I thought you cound use a break from the tedium of these long downloads)- Eli

(sorry, it's pretty boring)

wienerschnitzel shaped like a manatee...

lederhosen....

lederhosen fly gallery, interestingly enough

weimaraner named Xena...

und bier....

ach! wo ist der bier!?

uh-oh...not showing up?

sigh

hier ya go.

That beer looks suspiciously like DAB, to me.

I have no idea what that is.

DAB is a German pilsener beer.

http://www.riverviewendo.com.au/beer/beer683.htm