yumemigaoka | Sam's Teki-Terra Christmas Cram Jam!!

Entry tags:

Sam's Teki-Terra Christmas Cram Jam!!

⭐ Who: Sam and you, especially if you got a word-of-mouth invite, but "party crashers" OK!
⭐ When: December 23rd.
⭐ Where: Sam's apartment in Akabeni!
⭐ What: She's hosting a get-together for people to experience Kaiju Christmas...
⭐ Warnings: uh, are the Teki-Terra movies PG-13?

It's the weekend of Christmas, and Sam had invited a few people over to bear witness to a time-honored tradition. (It's her family tradition, but Sam will literally be darned if she forces her friends to watch Hallmark movies...) Instead, she's kicked it up a notch.

It's a kaiju movie-fest, starring the subject of the Teki-Terra movies and his assorted friends! To prepare, Sam has made a bunch of food and snacks for folks to literally devour during the shows.
And of course, there's popcorn.

"Come on in!" Sam's face is a beaming beacon of excitement as she opens her apartment door. "Just find a spot where you can.squeeze in, the floor, the couch, whatever. There's food in the kitchen, though it'll probably be best if we all take turns."

Mostly because Sam's apartment isn't a huge one, for all that it's nice. For one person, it'd be downright roomy, but who knows how many people will be shoving themselves into her place tonight? She'd invited a few people (Shinsha and Keiwa, as examples), but she had specifically not said that they couldn't bring a friend (or two!) if they liked.

For Sam, whose family is back in America (and might not welcome her anyway!), having a friend-filled Christmas is the next best thing...

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

It's true. Sam went all-out, and it's quite the spread that she's got laid out. Various types of chips with accompanying salsa. A rather unique vegetable pizza, made with dairy-free cream cheese, crescent roll crust, and chopped fresh vegetables on it. Calzones, but they're smaller than her usual, with all sorts of filling (labeled, so people can go for their favorites!). There's even some good old original crispy KFC!

Nor did she skimp on desserts. Fudge, cookies, an apple cobbler with oats and walnuts. Even a festive pound cake shaped like a Christmas tree and decorated with powdered sugar and green colored sugar with a frosting star at the top.

And yes, there's the aforementioned popcorn. That's in big bowls on the coffee table, in front of the TV where it belongs. Cheese and caramel corn (not mixed, though surely you can do that in the provided bowls if you like!). Sam does promise buttered popcorn, too, but that's more likely to come straight from the microwave, later. (Assuming everyone's not packed to the gills before the movies get underway!)

Keiwa's honestly surprised by the spread of food, a few of them things he would never think to include on account of... Not being the first things he thinks of so far as movie snacks go, or even the second thing. Truthfully, Keiwa's not completely sure what sort of snacks one would even take to a movie other than the usual popcorn selection.

As usual with these sorts of parties, Keiwa eats surprisingly light. A little bit of everything, periodically stopping to look up the food on his phone. Maybe he could make some of these for his sister to try...

When Sam swings by he looks up from his phone to smile at her.

"Thank you for inviting us," his phone buzzes in his hand and he glances at it before turning back to Sam, "though... was this much food even necessary?"

Well, there's probably a difference between going to the movies and taking snacks in (miniature calzones might fit in a purse, it's true, but they're definitely messy!) or buying them there. Your average movie theater...probably isn't going to offer some of the things Sam does, at her home!

She has to laugh at Keiwa's comment. "Okay, okay. Maybe not? But there are things like leftovers--you can take some with you if you want, and I know there are a couple of other folks who'd be only too happy to help me 'clean up', if you will. You're right that I couldn't eat all of this myself."

Thankfully, she won't have to.

"So are you enjoying yourself so far?" Sam sure hopes so, but she also knows Keiwa can be a little...shy. Shy's a good word.

He thinks he might know who those 'other folks' might be but he's not the sort to judge. Keiwa just laughs quietly before pocketing his phone as it buzzes again. It would be rude to have it out while chatting with someone, and he could get back to his sister afterwards.

But he cheerfully nods in response to Sam's question.

"Mm. I'm surprised you thought to invite me... Though I think Amane-kun will appreciate the movies more," he explains before giving Sam a polite bow. "Thank you for hosting."

He's still not exactly a social butterfly, out and about chatting with people, but Amane's excitement had been infectious. It's hard not to be excited when a friend is so enthusiastic about something.

"Um... Did you make all of these yourself?"

Sam laughs again. "I didn't make the KFC, but the rest? Yeah, I did. It wasn't all in one afternoon, I promise! There was a lot of prep during the week, but school was over and I had the free time, when I wasn't working at the DU."

Keiwa's probably not wrong at his guesses, but Amane should definitely be on that list!

"I'm glad you are enjoying yourself, and that you came! I kind of figured that this might not be your usual thing, and I'm glad you're trying to step out of your comfort zone a little bit." She's entirely serious about that, as well.

"Oh, I've got a little something for you before you head home later, too! Don't let me forget, please!"

Not that she didn't have a 'little something' for all the party attendees, but with organizing leftovers--Sam knows herself, even in controlled chaos, that's something that she could forget, without meaning to.

"You didn't have to!" He declines the present on reflex. Sam was already hosting this, it would be rude to also receive a gift on top of it. He probably would have kept going if it weren't for something Sam said earlier.

Then he pauses. "Comfort zone...?"

Keiwa honestly hadn't been thinking about the other party goers at all. Small gatherings were fine but the way Sam phrased it seemed like she was expecting a lot more people. Would they all even fit in this apartment? How many people were coming? He shrinks a little before shaking his head.

"It's not that. I just usually don't have much time to go out," he lets out a little laugh. "Nee-chan is better with that sort of thing than I am..."

But even then, both siblings were usually too tired or busy to actually go out.

"No, I made it especially for you, I can't let you get out of it. I didn't do it because I was expecting something in return--I'm glad you came here, and you brought others over! That's good enough for me."

Sure, Sam probably could use it herself, but. She's got mugs of her own. Besides, she's got a number of them packaged up and labeled in one of her cabinets, ready to go home with their owners.

"I didn't think you got worked that hard...then again, you probably still do volunteer work and stuff like that, too, huh?"

Sam would definitely not put that past Keiwa, but it's one of the reasons she likes him. (Not that she doesn't generally like everyone...)

"Eh? You made it?" he says, surprised. What could it be? Now he couldn't help but be a little curious what the present might be, even as a simple house visit gift was sitting in his own backpack. They can do a proper gift exchange before they have to leave. He had promised Mrs. Yugi he would bring Amane home before it got too late, after all.

"Huh?" he blinks, then waves his free hand, "no, no, that's not it!"

"We're a little short staffed at Camellia, so I've been pitching in where I can," he admits, a bit embarrassed but cheerful. "Remember the snowfall a couple of weeks back? Everyone pitched in to help clear that out but it still took a while to clear out all the storefronts at Moon Bunny Market."

It wasn't any sort of official volunteer opportunity, but the spirit was the same, wasn't it? Keiwa definitely didn't get paid for it, wouldn't think to ask for payment, even if some of the grannies had tried to foist some thank you gifts onto him... This is also known as Keiwa being too nice for his own good. How is he paying rent at this rate?!

Shinsha grew up in a Buddhist orphanage, so they're used to a meat-free diet... but outside of temples, vegetarians are rare in Japan. In school, Shinsha was always scolded by teachers for being a picky eater, and classmates teased that they must photosynthesize to have grown so tall on so little food. Back at the temple, Sensei showed them how to forage for mushrooms and wild greens in the foothills of the mountains, but here in the city, they're lucky to see a single sliver of mushroom and a few unidentifiable flakes of green stuff floating in their miso soup at the school cafeteria. So they're shocked to see an actual vegan pizza and several vegan snacks.

"How did you know that I don't eat meat...? Amane or Sakurai-san must have said something, right?"

They'll have to thank them later... first, they need to thank Sam.

"You went through so much trouble for me... th-thank you."

Sam starts at that for a moment, but then she shakes her head. "Oh, hey! No, nobody told me, but...what? Is it that strange, here? To choose not to eat meat?"

Clearly she still does--there's a whole bucket of Kentucky Fried out to be snacked from, but everything is clearly marked and it's easy to avoid things that have meat in them. Sam's either well-acquainted with allergies, or equally familiar with vegans.

"It's...not that weird in America, I guess? Though there are still plenty of people there who'd...probably make you get by with a veggie tray and questionable ranch dip." Questionable because while Sam knows there's dairy-free ranch, she does doubt that any stores would casually offer it in their veggie trays!

"I know that looks like cream cheese on that vegetable pizza, and it is--the pizza's a cold variety one of my mom's co-workers made for summer, but I thought it might go over well here. The cheese is vegan, but it tasted just like regular to me."

Because of course Sam would try it first. Only the best for her friends! She breaks into a smile up at them, then.

"It's no trouble, Shinsha. My pleasure! You can take whatever you like home--and if you don't take a lot, it won't get wasted, I promise." She might eat meat, too, but Sam hasn't met a vegetable she didn't like. "I made a lot so everyone could eat a lot!"

"Well, there are people who are vegan for religious reasons, but they're mostly Buddhist monks... I used to live in a temple, though, so that's what I'm used to."

Foreigners in Japan are often surprised at the relative lack of vegetarian options, at least compared to Europe and the USA... even though meat-eating was officially banned in Japan for centuries. There's fish broth in everything, even tofu dishes. Luckily, it's not too hard to find vegetarian products in Yumemigaoka, but Shinsha grew up in a small town where there were no meatless meat buns or dairy-free ice creams.

Shinsha grabs a slice of the vegan pizza... and then another slice. They certainly can't let Sam's hard work go to waste.

"It looks delicious... you'll have to share the recipe. I live alone now, so I end up cooking the same meals almost every week. I should try new things..."

It's not always that easy for Sam to hunt people down to gift them presents--but really, if they show up, they're getting gifted a little something! Mostly it's painted glass mugs that have had the paint sealed with food-safe coating, so they can go through repeated washings. She's done her best to tailor them to their prospective owners, as well...she really has tried to think of everyone!

Junna doesn't quite know Sam...

But she participated in the Secret Santa exchange. And thus, fate led her here, to do something a little absurd: crash a party. And thus, here she is, arriving at the party with a fairly sedate blue Christmas sweater -- with a snowman on it -- and a bag. She looks around until she spots the hostess. She doesn't know Sam that well, which made this a challenge in and of itself.

Actually, she doesn't know her at all. She had to ask around to get an idea.

But she found something, at a thrift shop. It is wrapped up; it's visibly some sort of long, wide, and skinny cardboard box. The wrapping paper is a generic affair of trees, reindeer, and the like. She spots Sam -- waves -- and calls out: "Ah! Excuse me, Sam Irithyl? Can--erm--can I have a moment of your time?"

"Oh, hey!" Sam...doesn't really know Junna either, more than by passing at the DU. And Sam doesn't have the inches or the pointy ears of her Dreaming self. But hopefully, some of the other faces present at the party are somewhat familiar ones, so Junna doesn't feel too horribly out of place. Clearly she's welcome, by the reaction she gets out of Sam.

"Of course you can! What's up? Are you going to get some food and hang out? You sure can, there's plenty. And I mean. It's a party!"

Though it's also clear if Junna wants to sneak in and out...it's possible, but unlikely Sam will let her escape without some Christmas cheer in the form of food!

"Oh, thank you! I was going to look around, in fact," Junna admits. Especially if she is welcome; something about showing up to a party she wasn't invited to sits wrong, but that might be the compulsive rule follower in her brain speaking up. (It absolutely is.)

"I--well--I'm your Secret Santa." A beat. "Ah, maybe I should have said that with more flare--"

She is a theater kid, after all.

Junna smiles, though, shakes her head, and then extends her wrapped present out. It rattles, slightly, when she does; something inside must be a little loose, though not excessively. Several somethings, in fact. "Merry Christmas!"

"Oh, wow, really? Cool! And you tracked me down? Wow! Thank you so much!" Not that Sam is terribly difficult to find in the long run--she does turn up at the DU like a bad penny (mostly for her tour guide shifts), and Junna could've simply ran into her there. But Sam is clearly happy that she's chosen to be here, now.

Only after she offers thanks does she accept the present. "Thank you! I got someone else, but I think I can still manage something...and of course, help yourself to the food!

Well, in a minute, I'm sure you want to watch me open this!" Sam laughs at that, then, but she wastes no time in opening up the present--with surprising care, not simply decimating the wrapping. And she's also careful about what's inside!

"W-Well..." Junna laughs a little sheepishly. "I wanted to make sure it got to you. And I asked around the Union a little too."

She nods, then hands it over.

The box, once unwrapped, is an old board game. It's clearly second hand -- it's vintage, with the faded but bright colors popular on board game boxes from the late 1980's and early 1990's. There are images of cartoonish Dreamers and Torments. It's called "Dreamer Panic!", exclamation mark not optional.

"I hope you like it! I made sure it has all the pieces too."

Hope you like Kaiju insanity! Though Sam will try to do her best to be pretty quiet (she intends to watch, not just chat, that was what food time was for, earlier). Still, it's fairly clear that she's enjoying both the company and the movie--and hopefully, everyone else is, too!

Sam's apartment is pretty cozy--the furniture is a tiny bit shabby. She'd say comfortable. It's clear she sort of splurged on the TV. It's also clear that there are things she may have normally kept in the living room that have been moved elsewhere to facilitate fitting more people there! (It's her music stuff, likely shoved in her bedroom...)

[Zeke Genbu, BRINGER OF CHAOS!, is here! In fact, he seems to have been here before everyone else, and is ushering people around to food and spots to put coats and such things as if he's cohosting this party. Perhaps to symbolize this, a Santa hat perches atop his head, signifying his role!]

[And of course, he always has a friendly word for anyone walking in:]

Hey! Glad you made it!

[Amane was already a bit nervous by the time he stepped in the door, trailing after Keiwa-- sure, he knew a few people here, so it took the edge off, but he still wasn't used to going to small parties like this. Imagine his compounded shock, then, when he spots an unfortunately familiar face greeting him from the entranceway, getting him to skitter back like a spooked cat at the sight of him. The words leave his lips before he can reign them in, sputtering out:]

W-What're YOU doing here??

[Um, RUDE, Amane?? Did you not see Zeke's Santa hat? Clearly this man is cohosting the party, duh--]

Partying. [Zeke is a little bit used to that attitude all around. Other bureaucrats wonder what a Dreamer is doing in their business. Newbie Dreamers question if this questionably sane fellow actually represents them. People being shocked at his presence doesn't ruffle his feathers any more, to the point that he doesn't even twitch as he responds.] And more than that, bring the snacks and the KFC. Perk of having a car and a license.

[To be fair, it's less of Zeke being the odd duck out in the party (because, really, they're sort of a mixed bag of folks, here), and more of a knee-jerk reaction to the very sight of him these days. Perhaps Dreamer Hanako could endure being grabbed by the face, but Amane? Absolutely not. His body has enough problems without a squashed face on top of it!!

... not that he was going to tell Zeke any of this, though. Perhaps he should take it as a good sign that his head wasn't immediately squeezed upon entry, but he's still... going to lurk a little behind the coat rack, eying him dubiously. Just as a precaution!]

So... I'm guessing you're friends with the host of this, then...?

[Ironic he's asking that when he wasn't explicitly invited himself, but... shhhhh]

Oh yeah, me and Sam are like this! [Zeke holds up a hand to show his index and middle finger twisted together.] What with the dating and all!

[You gotta just... give him a moment to process this, Zeke. Because while Amane certainly hasn't kept close tabs on his personal life (actually... he's probably rarely spoken to the guy outside of the Dream Sphere), the mere idea of Chaosbringer of all people having a girlfriend was enough to blue-screen him for a moment or two.]

... huh?

[ELOQUENCE, THY NAME IS AMANE]

You guys are-- HUH??

[But then a more pressing matter breaks through that fog, and he shakes his head a bit vigorously to get some sense back into him.]

W-Wait a moment, shouldn't you two be planning other stuff, then?? Christmas Eve's tomorrow!

[Are they really having a monster movie marathon before the most romantic night of the year??? Not that Amane was a romantic himself, but... still...!!]

[He isn't the only one that would blue-screen, for sure! Sam has been keeping it quiet for that and other reasons. Zeke, of course, doesn't care; it is what it is, and anyone who doesn't like it can lump it.]

You think we haven't planned that too? We're on top of the holiday season!

[The few gatherings the DU has done lately aside, Amane hasn't really been to a ton of parties throughout his life-- let alone smaller, more informal gatherings like these at somebody else's house. That would require having actual friends, which... unfortunately he hasn't had a lot of up until recently! And although he was excited at the prospect of being brought along to a party (a Teki-Terra party, even!!!), the moment he steps in the door, clad in his absolutely-not-nerdy kaiju kigu hoodie, he starts to feel a little nervous. Sure, Keiwa and Shinsha were here, but was the host really okay with him tagging along...? She seemed friendly enough, and he recognized her from the Halloween thing, but there was something about her that seemed extremely familiar...

After a bit of awkward lingering around the apartment and figuring out where to put his stuff (his mom made sure he didn't arrive empty-handed and thus saddled him down with some age appropriate Chanmery to share with the others), he winds up wandering into the kitchen to check out the food options-- and is immediately struck agog by the spread available. He's not even sure what some of this stuff even is, but--]

There's more than one type of calzone...??

[Maybe..... he needs help narrowing down his choices.... just a little......

Once he gets his plate loaded up, though (and it definitely will be, as a teenage boy he's nothing if not a bottomless food pit), he's going to settle in at the foot of the couch, happily munching upon his snacks and enjoying the films. Compared to his nerves earlier, he's much more in his element while the movies are actually going, eyes sparkling and excitedly piping up with some random factoid or two on occasion whomever is close enough to listen.]

Oh, oh, did you know? Teki-Terra's tail actually caught on fire in this scene, but the guy in the suit kept acting until the take was done. Isn't that nuts?

[At a certain point, though, after checking his phone casually a few times, he quietly slinks off to retrieve something from his bag, before briefly slipping into the bathroom. And if anyone saw a small, moon shaped box in his hand... don't even worry about it.

By the end of the evening, though, even the excitement of Teki-Terra can't keep him fully awake (and especially not on a full belly) and he starts to doze, either tilting gently against whomever is nearby, or just slumping against whatever cushion he stole from the couch. Mmmmmaybe somebody should probably nudge him awake, probably....??]

Yeah, there are four types! Mostly 'cause they're smaller than normal, so I decided to do variety, y'know? Those are roasted veggie, those are cheese, those are cheese and meat--sausage and pepperoni--and then the last tray are white calzones--ricotta, spinach and artichoke hearts. I tried to do a little something to tempt everyone's palate! And if there's leftovers, hey, I'll package them up so you can take some home, eh? I've got some Christmas crack, too!

[She's probably going to have to explain that, too, so she does.] It's candy, sort of. Saltine crackers smothered in toffee and chocolate, and then there are nuts or busted-up peppermint canes spread over the top. I did candy canes 'cause generally, they're safer.

[That's not all, either, but that's a lot for now, after all, especially considering the fresh veggie pizza and the fried chicken!]

[... whoops, and now he's drooling a little, THANKS SAM-- but that, plus a well-timed tummy grumble, is enough to snap him out of his food reverie, sending a bit of an embarrassed flush to his cheeks. Thankfully, he hadn't eaten much before they got there, in anticipation of whatever food spread might have been available, but he didn't think it was going to be as much as it was in front of him right now. Heck, even the DU didn't cater their parties this extensively (at least... as far as he could tell, anyway!)]

I'd be surprised if there weren't leftovers after all of this, to be honest. Wasn't this a lot of work...?

[Still, he doesn't hesitate to grab a plate and start tentatively loading it up, going for the KFC first (it was Christmas, after all, how could he NOT--), as well as some of the festive pound cake and the aforementioned Christmas crack. Eventually he gets to the mini calzones, immediately picking up the cheese and the meat kinds (can't go wrong with the classics!!), the roasted veggie after a moment of hesitation, and then:]

Um... what are artichokes, anyway? Are they good? I don't think I've ever had them before...

[Although he was going to try it out regardless-- it would be rude not to after all the cooking she's done! But the "hearts" part of it was making him think of yakitori, and he didn't think those white calzones had that sort of meat in them... did they...?]

Well, I've been out of class for the past week, and I used my time wisely. A lot of the stuff I made myself can be pregamed, so to speak--make fillings ahead of time, same with the dough. Then it was just cooking it today. The chips and dip and the KFC I tasked to someone else to get.

[It was totally Zeke. Which is one of the big reasons why he is acting the way he is. But he's not overboard yet in Sam's mind, so he can keep up his shenanigans freely, for now.]

Where I'm from, they're a plant that has a head that looks like a flower--that's the edible part, and it really does bloom, eventually. You take out the petals and just eat the tender parts at the end, mostly. That's what they call hearts, I think. You might be able to eat the inside of the choke, too, but I never looked into it that far. They're a little salty from being preserved, but the cheese and the spinach cut down on that. I like them! They're popular as a dip with spinach, too. And Parmesan cheese.

Mostly I wanted to have some vegetarian or vegan options, too. Not everyone enjoys meat, and that's fine by me. They shouldn't have to suffer through just a veggie tray! I've seen that happen way too often in high school back home, and it sucks every time, you know?

[He listens politely as she explains, nodding where appropriate-- honestly, now that she's put it like that, he's pretty sure he's seen his mom do the same for large gatherings too. Not that it isn't a lot of effort regardless, though-- she could have easily just ordered pizza or more chicken, but the fact she went to these sort of lengths for them was kind of admirable. As for the artichokes...]

Ooooh-- I see, I see. So they're kind of like bamboo shoots, huh? [Maybe... not the best 1-to-1 comparison for it in regards to appearances, but as far as eating the tender part of a plant goes, it's not... too far off, maybe??] It sounds tasty, though! But anything salty and cheesy is bound to be good, I guess.

[And at that, he plucks one of the artichoke calzones up from the food spread and adds it onto his plate. It wasn't as if he was going to avoid it in the first place-- it felt rude, when she made all this food and he had no dietary limitations-- but now that he knew what was inside, he was kind of eager to try it. He does hum a little in contemplation when she mentions the vegetarian stuff, though, pausing in his hunt for more snacks to add:]

Mm... I mean, I like meat, but I know Shinsha-san isn't crazy about that sort of thing, so I'm sure they probably appreciate having some actual choices for once. But it's pretty hard finding stuff here without it, y'know? I didn't even know fish counted as meat until I was trying to find some snacks to gift them.

[Which... frankly, sounds pretty ridiculous, but considering what a major staple it is for Japanese cuisine in general, it feels almost impossible to leave out.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Sam's Teki-Terra Christmas Cram Jam!!

FOOD

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

PRESENTS

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

MOVIES!

Zeke!

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject