Raffles & Giveaways

@Xenamorph @PearlyGirl @CelesticLeo @Golden @inkyAmphitere @WhisperingThief @Kiseikune @Medievalredragon @Mymozya @Sylpheed @Beezarre @harpyja @NegCol @Chberr @EternallySacred @Annadrujok @Polyhymnia @Argante @Deladria @sockmonkeygerald @GrayGriffin @chamilet @RuthlessCata @givemeyourbones @FinalFlight @Jeevas @mimirr @Reineke @ViziVoir @ShayeraNatasha @perfectoranges @DrakoTheDragon @Calvair [center][img]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1032765911742025800/1042520878765834310/challenge5.png[/img] [font=Century Gothic][color=orange][size=5][b]Share your story![/b][/size][/color] Tell us a short story about your dragon cooking on a pirate ship! [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/raf/3257771#post_54659403]main Challenge post[/url] [size=4][b]REWARD:[/b] [img]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/610940657753915423/1051666321726787594/1.png[/img][b]30 tickets for raffle[/b][/size] [size=2]*Tickets only count if you cooked at least one dish![/size] You're also rewarded with [b]dumbo octopus[/b] badge![/font] [img]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1022818675033657377/1129034812150268066/dumbo_octopus.png[/img][/center]

Challenge #5:

"Theo!" one of the deckhands yelled from somewhere out… there. "Something's burning! Again!"

"That'll be the incompetent engineer running the engine lean, again," Theo muttered under his breath, sweating profusely as he retrieved a rack of fish from the grill, catching the small fleshy forms just in time to preserve them on the delectable, tender cusp between under- and overcooked.

The flames flared up beneath the grill and, reaching over to turn the heat down, Theo's apron slipped to reveal the gnarled bones embracing his petite form. He cursed, hurrying to straighten his garments as the deckhand appeared at the entrance to the cramped kitchen, their nostrils twitching in an irritating fashion.

"Tell the captain dinner's ready," Theo barked at the young Mirror (well, barked as much as a Fae can bark). "Not that he'll be sober enough to appreciate the taste," he added, a little too loudly.

Satisfied, and a little disappointed, to see nothing up in flames, the deckhand slithered away, leaving Theo to mop his brow in relief. There went another successful day of hiding his calcified veneer behind a meticulously creased outfit; as much as a literal skeleton might have been at home on a pirate ship, Theo had always felt his true form was something to be hidden, to be compensated for. The apron settled gently over his bones, and he let himself take a breather for the first time all day.

Whew…

His head shook of its own accord, a cue from his body that there was work still to be done. Pulling himself upright, Theo tossed the fish fillets onto individual plates, seasoning them with platitudes of salt and pepper to appease the hungry mouths waiting to be fed, adding a sprinkling of dehydrated greens to keep the crew fighting fit. To top it all off, a spritz of his special citrus sauce - and voila! That’d be the best meal anyone was getting for miles around today, five hundred miles to be exact. Double checking to make sure his bones were hidden in the folds of his vermillion threads, Theo scooped up his handiwork and made his way towards the mess hall.

"Hey, that smells so good!" the deckhand exclaimed, distracted momentarily from their cleaning duties.

"Yeah," Theo replied, taking a rare moment to indulge in the opulence of his own creation. "I know."

He smiled to himself. Yes, he did know. Theo nibbled on a slice of fish, his taste buds singing as the mix of herbs and lemon zest danced over his tongue, transporting him to a realm far away from this life adrift on the open seas, of taking yet never owning. Yes, one day he'd be long gone from here, cooking for those with senses ablaze and fully cognizant, adoring of the sweat and tears he always poured into his labours of love.

Theo, the cook. The deckhand understood what it meant to be unappreciated, and they exchanged a tenuous glance of mutual understanding, a token of solidarity to carry them on into the long, rocky night.

There was, as always, work to be done.

[center][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/66179054][img]https://www1.flightrising.com/dgen/dressing-room/dragon?did=66179054&skin=0&apparel=28800,20856,27358,41497,22819,31999&xt=dressing.png[/img][/url] [center] [columns][emoji=bogsneak happy size=2][nextcol][indent][b]Raspeavory[/b] once freighted a venerable merchant's ship to transport his brews from his lair to an island to experiment... [emoji=blue vial][/columns] [columns][emoji=bogsneak tongue size=2][nextcol][indent]Stuck on board once the winds caught still in the sails, the refined Bogsneak offered to cook for the crew, claiming knowledge of ingredients' properties & ways to extract their most nutritious juices with much economy. [emoji=cauldron][/columns] [columns][emoji=bogsneak winking size=2][nextcol][indent]While the mates all ate well & felt sated through the long days, this merchant's ship never docked again in daylight... [emoji=full moon][/columns] [columns][emoji=veilspun scared size=2][nextcol][indent]Across all shores surrounding the island, tales of ghost ships & their living-dead pirates spawned like flares. Once a Veilspun hatchling swore by all the deities they ransacked her chief cook mother's kitchen while she hid in the ashy fireplace, grumbling about their lord's fine recipes, but never laid a claw on the glistening gems & ores her father piled up next door in his cutting workshop. [emoji=blue gem] She said they smelled good as her mom's best dishes.[/columns] [columns][emoji=bogsneak star size=2][nextcol][indent]Sailors sometimes catch whiff of fragrant aromas gliding on the waves but all stear clear. It is all well known they're the gingerbread cottage of seafarers lost*... [emoji=gust][/columns] [i]*Line from a poem of mine, Light the way home, down at my PWYW Haiku Shop.[/i] [/center]

[center][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/46772243][img]https://www1.flightrising.com/rendern/350/467723/46772243_350.png[/img][/url][/center] [center][b][Day 3 at Sea][/b][/center] "Where's the darn meat on this cursed ship!?!" "Jwaila, the fishing has been good. Why are you complaining?" "Fish ain't meat!! I want something warm and red-blooded. Preferably furry." "We... we're out at sea, Jwaila." "And all you have for me to work with are scaly swimmers and [i]rats[/i]." The captain rubs his temples. She'd been complaining since day 1. They'd make her walk the plank, but she's too feisty to handle, and even if they managed to tie her up, she always manages to hide a knife on her somewhere to cut herself free. At least she cooks good. "While I appreciate the cooking service we hired you for, could you please stop eating our dried jerky rations. Those are supposed to hold in an emergency." "It's the only meat you have!!" Just then, a shout from the deck. The captain burst out of the cooking quarters to see a massive Blacksand Kraken emerge from the depths. Its obsidian sheen helped obscure it among the waves, but its tentacles wrapping around the massive and proud pirate ship made its presence clear. "Kraken! All hands on deck!" Just then, Jwaila burst from the floorboards below in a screaming fury of hellfire. Dual-wielding some impressive cutlery, she struck and slashed at the encroaching leviathan, blinding it. Finally, with a couple of swift, intense strokes of the blade, she severed each of its limbs, leaving the monster to float to the bottom of the boiling sea. ------- [columns] [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/45772591][img]https://www1.flightrising.com/rendern/portraits/457726/45772591p.png[/img][/url] [nextcol] [color=transparent]_____[/color] [nextcol] "Is that what [i]really[/i] happened?" [/columns] [columns] [color=transparent]___________________________________________________________[/color] [nextcol] "Yes." [nextcol] [color=transparent]_____[/color] [nextcol] [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/46772243][img]https://www1.flightrising.com/rendern/portraits/467723/46772243p.png[/img][/url] [/columns] [columns] [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/45772591][img]https://www1.flightrising.com/rendern/portraits/457726/45772591p.png[/img][/url] [nextcol] [color=transparent]_____[/color] [nextcol] "...." [/columns] [columns] [color=transparent]____[/color] [nextcol] "And then we went to shore and sold those tentacles and made a lot of money. And then I ditched them. Never working on a boat again." [nextcol] [color=transparent]_____[/color] [nextcol] [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/46772243][img]https://www1.flightrising.com/rendern/portraits/467723/46772243p.png[/img][/url] [/columns] [center][img]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1021107442374942770/1096918514037698600/squid.png[/img][/center]

[b]Challenge 5[/b] [center][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/46049273][img]https://www1.flightrising.com/rendern/350/460493/46049273_350.png[/img][/url][/center] Caspain hummed to himself as he worked at sauteeing the meat in front of him. The salt air blew across his face and tangled his mane, and the deck lurched beneath him. The pan tilted as well, and he quickly hurried to correct it, stopping it before all the ingredients could go sliding out. He dipped a spoon in, carefully lapping up the sauce, before shaking his head. "A little less salt," he murmured to himself, adding a little more water. Fresh water was a precious commodity out on the sea, but they'd be entering port soon. This was a unique form of travel, paying his way as a traveling chef, and so far it had gone well. He'd gotten the chance to use so many unique ingredients from all over, and enjoyed the compliments and delightful gasps of so many crews. When he went home, he would have so many stories to tell.

[center][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/59051013][img]https://www1.flightrising.com/rendern/350/590511/59051013_350.png[/img][/url] [b]Challenge #5[/b][/center] "I sure hope that Temari is having a better time than I am." The spiral muttered to herself as she worked. Both Teel and her mate had sprung at the chance to cook on a ship when the opportunity arose, but to her dismay, Temari had been assigned to a different ship, leaving Teel with a bunch of strangers. Loud, hungry strangers. Regardless, she was going to make the most out of her situation. Teel darted over to a simmering pot and stirred it's contents. She had found some dried rice amongst the ships's other provisions, and was hoping that the slight change in diet would finally satisfy her crewmates and their complaints. A sudden rasping on the kitchen's door got her attention, followed by one of her shipmate's voices. "Oy! How's the food coming along?" "Just ten more minutes!" Teel called back in response. After some muttering, the other dragon leaves. She was glad that they didn't open the door and see the absolute chaos which was the kitchen. Darting from one task to another like a frenzied dunerunner, Teel used her fast reaction speed and agility to her advantage. Fluff the rice, chop the fish, add the veggies…it was tiring work, but Teel got it done. In the end, she stepped back to admire her handiwork: some simple rice bowls with fish and vegetables mixed in. Opening the kitchen door with a flourish (and nearly dropping the food she had worked so hard on), she was met with the many eyes of her crewmates. "Dinner is served!" ----- Gave both Gordon and Finn a like! ([url=https://i.imgur.com/wV9XQay.jpg]proof[/url] and [url=https://i.imgur.com/nMrrte8.jpg]proof[/url].) Also for my themed dragon, here's Nessa! [center][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/58792612][img]https://www1.flightrising.com/rendern/350/587927/58792612_350.png[/img][/url][/center]

[center][b]Challenge 5:[/b][/center] [center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=84981260][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/849813/84981260.png[/img][/url][/center] [center]Mazus was investigating the coast of Sun Harbour until a bunch of pirates took her into their ship. With her wings tied, Maxus couldn't just fly away, so she looked for an alternative way out. Therefore, she kept striking deals until she found one they would agree upon. After several refusals, Mazus got desperate and without thinking, she proposed that she’d cook a tasty free meal for them, and the pirates would get her back to Luminhearth in return. The captain accepted the deal on the crew's behalf, and now she stands in their ship’s galley, where the kitchen was held. Well, this is awkward. What the pirates didn’t know is that in reality, she was bluffing and couldn’t actually cook. She hadn’t anticipated for them to so easily accept the deal. Mazus took a quick glance at the galley’s cupboards and shelves to see what she was working with. Salted fish scraps, vegetables, spices and herbs… It all clicked in Mazus’ head. She could make fish soup! [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/58806335]Teakwood[/url] usually cooked fish soup for Mazus whenever she was uncovering a hard case, and the amazing aroma & taste was distinct enough for her to remember. Unfortunately, Mazus hadn’t asked her mentor for her recipe for fish soup yet, so the best she could do was to go with her gut. Mazus went over to the pots, gingerly grabbing a stewpot from the shelf before moving it onto the kitchen countertop. She then turned to the chopping board, plopping her fish on the chopping board. Using a blunt knife, she cut the fish into small pieces before placing them into the stewpot. Afterwards, she took out a jar of pickled carrots and mustard greens she found from the pantry and dumped them into the pot. When she was done adding the base ingredients, it was on to cooking the soup. Mazus took the stewpot and propped it on the stovetop. After adding some oil, she turned the knob as the fire lit, letting the ingredients simmer for a bit. “A bit” turned into 5 minutes, then 10, but no more than that. The steam coming out from the pot and oil splatters was a dead giveaway to Mazus that she probably should not have let the soup cook for this long. Mazus backed away from the soup, frowning. The Coatl then hastily rushed to the pantry to fetch some salt in an attempt to mask the mistake she had made with a good amount of seasoning. With a few flinches due to the splattering of oil, she sprinkled several pinches of salt and quite a few splashes of water so the broth could form. Needless to say, after a few minutes of cooking, the dish hadn’t turned out as Mazus had hoped, and not nearly as good as her mentor had made it. In defeat, Mazus poured the soup into bowls, and decided to slip the knife on the chopping board into her tailcoat's pocket, turning her head back at the ropes which bound her wings together. At least she had thought of an alternative plan out that doesn't require to be good at cooking. Walking out of the kitchen, Mazus unwillingly presented her culinary disaster to the pirates, and after one taste, the crew expressed their distaste for the soup (Mazus may have put too much seasoning in it). But when they looked back to the Coatl, they realized some long cut pieces of rope and a blunt kitchen knife had just taken her place. [/center]

[columns][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/78140002][img]https://www1.flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/781401/78140002.png[/img][/url][nextcol] "CAUGHT it! We got seafood! Now we can start our adventure!" cheered one of the hatchlings manning the lopsided wood-and-rope construction that teetered in the sand just past the edge of lapping surf. "I'm hungry now, let's eat it. How do we cook seafood?" the other hatchling asked, slinkying down the pole of the hand-drawn skull-and-crossbones flag. "Raw?" suggested the 'catch' drawn partway onto the beach by the floss-thin line tangled somewhere near its whiskers, offering a smile with a mouth bigger than they were and very full of long fine teeth. "You can try to eat me whole, and if you don't manage I'll eat you." "No fair!" the ridgie complained, flopping onto the undertide's nose to better argue up close. "How would it be fair for you to win without me fighting back at all? [i]Is[/i] fair," the undertide countered, perfectly ready to debate. "What if we eat... this stuff. What is this," the noodlet asked, winding through the drapes of seaweed that clung to the undertide's frills. "Is it good? How do we cook it?" "Raw," repeated the undertide, who had seen enough of hatchlings putting things in their mouths to believe that was their natural diet. "It's... grassy? Maybe? But better flavored." After all, that air-growing grass waving beyond the shore wouldn't have salt. Tiny investigative teeth rooted for a good mouthful and bit down. The undertide yelped. "NOT me!..." [nextcol] [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/78140001][img]https://www1.flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/781401/78140001.png[/img][/url] [/columns] [center][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/88347868][img]https://www1.flightrising.com/rendern/350/883479/88347868_350.png[/img][/url][/center]

Nefyn was captured at sea by pirates! When put on fishing detail to help provide food for the chef on board, she was so distracted by all the pretty fish that she forgot to hunt at all! However, the chef on board is very smitten by Nefyn, and she has the most sumptuous meals regardless, keeping in fine Snapper form. Her goblin is a bit disapproving, but is totally loyal to her, and does his own share of fishing for them both. [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/54153][img]https://www1.flightrising.com/rendern/350/542/54153_350.png[/img][/url][img]https://www1.flightrising.com/static/cms/familiar/art/22258.png[/img]

[columns] [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/19253788][img]https://www1.flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/192538/19253788.png[/img][/url] [nextcol]Pellow has always been an adventurous dragon. From the moment he was born, he took every chance he got to see something new. When he settled down in Andermorax as a young teen it was only natural he would work the river that led to the Sea of a Thousand Currents. He was never much of a cook so it took him by surprise when Nihm asked for his help in a cooking battle. Not one to turn someone in need down he accepted the challenge. [/columns] [columns] Nihm needed an assistant- or more so, a fisherman- who could bring in a fresh catch for the latest Cooking with Gordan Challenge. She was determined this time to complete all the challenges and cook all the dishes. In the past, she hadn't been very successful. What she lacked was a helping hand and a steady financial sponsor. With Pellow here to help the two would be, and have been, unstoppable. To supply the freshest ingredients they would have to cook on his ship. A wooden beauty with massive sails and the latest amenities. As Nihm worked ferociously in the kitchen Pellow would supply the freshest fish ( his personal favorite meal ) to her grand kitchen station set up in the middle of the boat's deck. [nextcol][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/59356072][img]https://www1.flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/593561/59356072.png[/img][/url][/columns] Together in harmony, the two created the most mouth-watering dishes that would even please a nonfish eater.