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ROUX Student Magazine EST 2022 Issue 32, 22nd October 2026 Luxembourg Print run: 650 copies Chief Editor: Last Name Biscuit “The Crunchy” First Name Lemon, The Great and Right Honorable

Contents

2 12

What makes autumn cozy

Guide to Enjoy Uni Life A Guide

to Budapest

On Lasagna

Cozy Evening

A Tour Guide

A Remaster

with a Book

My Solo Trip

22 32

Loriel’s Notebook A D&D Campaign Diary

The Blessing and Curse of Beauty Literary Reflection

The Divine Sentinel of Light, Mithra An Article

Poster

A Recommendation

Autumn Drinks A Recipe

The Eight Nana

Bienvenue aux Alyscamps

It’s Just a Phone The Spell of Indifference A Story Concert Etiquette

Starring: Alisa ALEKSANDROVA – nymph Alissa WECKER – in Wonderland Anahit AVAGYAN – almost killed my turtle..ALMOST Anastacia GRAVA – Tuffmenistan’s prime minister Anastasiia SHKAMERDA – looking for the question Braedan STUART – local addition expert Bill SYLA – jaywalking in front of the police at 3 AM (gone wrong) Chloé LEMONNIER – find me at the uni library, knitting Dorian SOUSA CALVO – had popcorn stuck in his nose Dzhamilia FARKHUTDINOVA – still lowkey confused Juliana MAIA – the ancient text did not foretell this fuckery Julien CRUCITTI – I’ve done my sentence. Lara SEYLER SCHMIT – currently on adventure Lina HARRATI-SCARPA – I like cats Léna GUINAUDEAU – the world´s most suspicious noodle Lu CULLEN MORENO – no, I’m not a vampire Margaryta ALEKSANDROVA – the witch Maria MAZEINA – a.k.a Masha Marissa SETTANNI – going to war against my own inner dialogue Pegah & Pariya PALIZBAN – not twins :) Rafael CORONADO – Laureate Indie Gamer Shivangi MISHRA – part-time comic artist, full-time food lover Stefan DIAC – sober philosopher Umut UCAK – shameless self-plug: check out crawlingkobold.com Valeriia STELMASHENKO – responsible, but unorganised Yasmine ZOUACHE – daydreaming so hard I’m barely reachable Zoltan TAJTI – founding father; Maecenas of the online edition

Roux is partners with RTL Today

Cozy Autumn Books

Mauvaise Soirée A Short Story

Collaborative

Poem

The Child Beneath the Red Sune A Story

We are thankful to: Ramona Ventimiglia, Veerle Waterplas, Margaly Monelus, and Abigail Slate of the Office of Student Life, Sonja Di Renzo and Antonio Tavan of the Repro Team, Espace Cultures, Karin Langumier, Alannah Meyrath, Bianca Pirrelli, SAUL, Jolt Coffee Roasters, Dalmat CoffeeHouse, Café Saga, LLC, BNL, Casino and CNL. Find us at: campus buildings (reception areas, magazine stands), student lounges, chill-out-zones, Jolt Coffee Roasters, Dalmat CoffeeHouse, LLC, BNL, Casino and CNL. Join us! We are always looking for graphic designers, writers, artists, photographers, reporters, administrators and all sorts of sailors willing to (wo)man the good ship ROUX! Contact us: paper.roux@gmail.com Find the magazine online: https://issuu.com/rouxmagazine Our website: https://roux.lu Instagram: @roux.magazine Cover by Valeriia STELMASHENKO Poster p. 18 - 19 by Anastasiia SHKAMERDA Unless otherwise noted, all images in the magazine have been dedicated to the public domain under the Creative Commons CC0-1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication. Direct all copyright claims to: paper.roux@gmail.com ©2026 ROUX Student Magazine. All Rights Reserved.

A GUIDE

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C O L L A B O R AT I V E

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A S H O RT S T O RY

This issue of ROUX is, of course, themed around a cozy Autumn, but what Autumn is complete without Halloween? So, dear reader, I have for you a real Halloween story that really happened. Trust me, I was there.

It was some time ago, back in the 18th century—1754, I think, and it was in Venice. It was on the night of the Carnival, and at that time all the city’s most powerful folk would wear gallant masks and gauche outfits for a night of sordid debauchery. The highest, of course, had a common little secret: they were creatures of the night. They fled the light of the Sun, their hearts made not a beat, and they slaked their thirst with the blood of the living. Wretched beings, one and all, and they held the best parties. This night was a bit different than average, though; unbeknownst to all, they had a visitor. Giordano was his name—no, was it Giacomo? It’s been so long. My sincerest apologies. I’ll use Giacomo. Giacomo was nothing special. He operated a gondola for some influential people, I forgot who exactly, and was paid handsomely for it. These connections afforded him the occasional rumor most would never encounter, and this one was a real winner – a secret ball, held, if memory serves, in the Ca’ d’Oro. Giacomo was rather wise and used his slightly-more-than-modest means to buy up a rather small library of intellectual texts from lands beyond: Anne Conway, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, David Hume. Inspired by these works of learning, he was a rational man. Skeptical. Empirical. He found superstitions absurd in the extreme and believed the whispers of creatures that feed on blood to be founded on nightmares, alcohol, and hearsay. There were no shadowy figures lurking around each and every corner – how could there be? There is nothing in this world that can’t be seen! He saw in this secret party an opportunity to relax and unwind, enjoy some company, maybe some food, and to grow his network of clients. The issue was getting in; a secret gathering like this would require a password to enter, if nothing else, which of course he did not have. The Ca’ d’Oro, however, sits on the water. Giacomo had a plan: he would find the best attire he could, don his finest mask, ride his gondola to the palace, and jump in through a window.

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This was certainly a lucky plan! For there happened to be just such a window within reach of where he could arrange his boat. Fate, perhaps, was interested in seeing how things played out. On the night of the Carnival, he leapt indeed from that boat and into a new world. His feet did not land at the same time and although he stumbled, he regained his composure at once with a magnificent and elegant flourish. His hand drew up to his hat, wide in brim, which had fallen askew, and he tipped it to the room. The party was, contrary to his expectation, in full swing. A round of applause went up to his display, the vampires’ stone-cold flesh cracking against itself. I wish to give a note on the social dynamics of vampires. See, especially at this time, vampires in high society events like these were often quite bored. Due to their shared secret, their social groups are tightly knit and hide from all outside scrutiny, and this meant that most vampires knew all the others in their area within only a few years of their turning to unlife. Can you imagine going to the same parties with the same people, year over year, for twenty years? Fifty? A hundred? I can assure you, it gets stale. So naturally, every minor fact about Giacomo stood out to this twilit aristocracy – his posture, his demeanor, his clothes, and of course his scent – all new. They were entranced by his novelty, and, somehow, none yet recognized him as not being one of his own. Can you imagine! Neither Giacomo nor the vampires thought the other any different from themselves. A hand outstretched. “You know me not; I give you this name but I have many others. I am called Zaccaria.” Giacomo shook the hand. “Giacomo. A lovely night, don’t you think?” Zaccaria looked up, slowly, as though running his gaze along some invisible line. “Yes, I suppose I think often. It is a lovely night.” Throngs of others approached Giacomo, who could scarcely manage to address everyone. The question of his invitation, if he had one at all, never came up, though he heard many others. Some of them read as quite strange: “Which clan bore you into the walking way?” Giacomo answered with his surname, awkwardly. There were murmurs. “And which year saw your bite?” This one he had to think for a moment about, but he decided he would have been at the age to eat solid foods in around 1732, which was his answer. A gasp. “A mere neophyte! How cute!” He was from every side approached, questioned, and brushed. The attendees were enamored with his display.

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“These folks are so kind!” Giacomo thought to himself. “They seem so excited that I am here! I never knew myself to be the life of the party…” He tried hinting towards his gondola business to many of the wealthier-looking attendees, only to be spoken over with more excited questions and flirtatious comments. Though he didn’t mind, he was rapidly tiring. In the middle of one such attempt, a voice overpowered the noise of the party, a reverberating command to be silent and listen. “My good kin! What say we indulge in dinner this night?” A celebratory cry went up. Giacomo excitedly awaited to indulge in delights beyond his imagination. He got his wish, I tell you! For at this time a train of servants began processing through the dark congregation. Each wore a plain robe and a blindfold, each walking as a puppet on strings. Giacomo watched in horror: the white flash of sharpened teeth. Crimson followed closely. He was offered a neck. The room watched. Slowly, as slowly as he could, he put his mouth around it and bit, lightly enough so as to not even leave a mark. “….Delicious,” his stomach turning over in his gut. More applause. Ironic that his skin was now as pale as the blood-drinkers’! As the applause died, he said, almost whispering, “I think I should retire now! Truly, it has been a beautiful party. Good times had by all. Oh, and happy Carnival. Yes. I will see you next year!” He stumbled through the front door, largely unaccosted. Zaccaria followed, however. “My good friend, why do you leave us? Your company is most beloved. Morning is far from us, so stay.” Distracted by the call of his acquaintance, Giacomo wasn’t looking where he was going. He walked into a wall, turned, and stumbled down a row of nearby stairs, falling. He rolled down the stairs, and continued tumbling along at the base. He rolled first into a dog, then into a child, then into a couple walking down the street. He kept rolling, despite the ground being flat – I’m serious! He rolled through a piano laying on the path. He encountered another flight of stairs, this time going upwards, and merely rolled upwards! Never have I seen something like this! I mean, really, it was impressive. I still don’t know how he did it. He just kept going. Eventually he ended up at the doorstep of St. Mark’s Basilica and finally ceased his tumble. Having gone out cold, he suddenly awoke with a start. To a gathered crowd, he shouted: “My gondola!”

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I don’t know what happened to Giacomo after that night; it’s not like we were friends. I hope he had fun, though. And so too, dear reader, do I hope you have fun in this very, very cozy Autumn. And a happy Halloween too, if you’re the celebratory sort.

Written by Braedan Stuart Designed by Valeriia Stelmashenko

A R E C O M M E N D AT I O N

Soo, autumn is my favourite season. I love the rain, colourful trees, and how your home and every cafe instantly becomes very cozy. Which makes you instantly want to sink into an armchair, wrap yourself up in a blanket like a nice little burrito, with a nice warm cup of something and, for me, a good book.

Arch of Triumph

by Erich Maria Remarque

So here is a selection of books that create a cozy (and perhaps slightly gloomy) atmosphere.

Honestly, I can't explain why this is autumny, but I just get that vibe from it. Perhaps it is the same feeling of melancholy, something dying. It is a story about a German doctor, illegally performing operations in Paris and Joan Madou, a girl he falls in love with. His life is full of struggles, clinging onto hope, life and love. (my favourite book by this author: Three Comrades)

Dead Poet Society by Robin Williams

Have you ever heard the phrase “oh captain my captain”? Well, this is the book. A very short book, one evening is enough if you feel like it. When you start reading it, it looks like a story about teenagers in a boarding school, with problems like strict discipline and mean teachers. But in a split second this book becomes very serious and is about the conflict of passion, strict rules, pressure and expectations. It all starts when they get a new English professor, Mr John Keating…

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

Although this book is not particularly cozy, it is very dark-rainy-coblewalk-and-anice-coat autumny. It is a story about a group of 5 students that study ancient Greek in Hampden University. It is told in first person narrative, from the perspective of a young man named Richard who just enrolled into this uni and became the 6th. From the very first line of the book (literally), you know that one of them died, but you aren’t told why or any of the important details. Then, the story goes back to the very beginning and you slowly get to know what happened. A lot of this book feels like a crazy dream, that's half a nightmare, the other parts have interesting character dynamics and a sense of belonging. If you read If We Were Villains and liked it, you should totally read this one and vice versa. They are similar in their atmosphere, group of people, and even some of the characters, but at the same time so different.

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Written by Maria Mazeina Designed by Valeriia Stelmashenko

Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

A book about a small cute cafe in a quest alley. The twist: where you can order a coffee that sends you back in time, with two rules: you have to return before the coffee gets cold and you cannot move from your seat. There are four different stories, about four different customers, all having their specific reason to take the risk and go back.

The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods

I really like the way it was written. It has three different perspectives from three different characters: two two in the present, Henry and Martha, and one 100 years in the past. So, as a reader, you get to know more than each of the characters do (and yell at the book “noo don’t do this”). In the present, Henry is looking for the unpublished book by Emile Bronte and the trace of the hidden bookshop and somehow, the lives of the other two get involved in this adventure. It has elements of mystery, a lot of linguistic facts (both real and fictional) and the main characters are complex and welldeveloped, it’s very interesting to get to know them.

Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa

A very quiet and cozy book that feels like going on a solo date. It describes a girl, Takako, lonely and hurt, who runs away from her problems to a town with a huge number of bookshops (honestly the dream), and helps her uncle at his bookshop. She starts to enjoy reading and just gets a slightly different view on life. Slowly and quietly, her life begins to change. Bonus: I know I've The characters are very, very well-written and a already recommended Thursday lot of them have really interesting backstories Murder Club in the detective (the reveals go hard). books, but it is so so so cozy and honestly my comfort book.

A TOUR GUIDE

My solo trip to Budapest I

n early September, I went on a 4-day solo trip to Budapest for my vacation. First off, dear reader, you should know that I never take time off. I work all summer long and hoard my cash like a squirrel in winter. But enough was enough; I told myself that I, too, deserved to unplug for a bit, so I decided to blow some of my Delhaize money (shoutout to unful lling student jobs) on a cute little getaway.

I bought ight tickets to Budapest and booked a cheap little room with walls as thin as paper. I went completely unprompted: no YouTube vlogs, no "15 must-see tourist spots you CANNOT miss" lists that drive me up the wall. Instead, the very night I landed, I scrolled no more than 10 minutes through Pinterest for cute café pics, checked out artist recommendations on Insta, and put together my own little list day by day, with the vague intention of mapping out cool places to spot hidden gems.

& cheapes

My goal isn’t to push a list of places served to you on a silver platter, but to encourage you to try intuitive tourism. Basically, wandering around nice neighborhoods and going wherever the wind takes you. That’s how you make the best discoveries, if you ask me! Plus, you’ll get the lay of the land way faster.

a zz

WARNING: pick your neighborhoods CAREFULLY. True story: thanks to my legendary naivety, I once went wandering around the station district in Frankfurt back when I was an au pair. Massive mistake, cause I ended up getting chased by junkies in broad daylight. Long story short, exercise a bare minimum of caution out there. Sending you lots of love!

Wh at can go Wrong in life Wh en ing uh ave Cofe & knit

- by Chloé

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cs lá ka his ös r is t ? rt me o ted? Kü is it overra

o oo soo o o ooooo gg

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The façade of the néprajzi Múzeum (Museum of Ethnography) features textile patterns inspired by Hungarian embroidery. I reproduced one of the motifs from this design in embroidery.

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József the

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ildren’s bokshops are My hap y place

A REMASTER

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A REMASTER

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RECIPE

Written by Maria Mazeina Designed by Valeriia Stelmashenko

n m tu u A ea T

Ingredients: Leaves: Mint (I prefer fresh) Rosemary Raspberry leaves Tea leaves (usually overpowers other tastes slightly)

ons: Instructi ection of the

ry s e of eve m o s (or any t u P ou like y t a e h t ts hen, tak T ingredien ). s e ib v e the same n a stov o t u p other of , t a tea po oila. a pot or es and v t u in m ss = for 7-10 es + gra ic p s + s , fruit tion In short cozy po t c e f r e p the

Fruits(sliced): Apples Lemons Oranges Berries (blueberry, cranberry, currant…)

Spices: Cloves Cinnamon (sticks) Nutmeg Turmeric Anise

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Ingredients:

Hot e t a l o c Cho s: 2 Serv

Milk 2 cups Any chocolate (chocolate chips) 1/4 cup (2 horizontal pieces) Unsweetened cocoa powder 2 tablespoons

Instruments: A pot A spoon/spatula A very, very cool mug

ing

ppings:

Instructions:

If you bought chocolate ch ips, nice, otherwise simply chop the bar of choco late to small pieces Put the milk and cocoa pow der in a pot and heat up until warm (whisk frequently) When it's warm (not boilin g), add the chocolate and whisk until it is fully mixed in with the milk. Done

l to Optiona

n Cinnamo or allows Marshm

Ingredients: 2 ripe bananas Milk 2 cups Cocoa 1-2 tablespoons

Instruments: Optional: mixer/blender A pot Guess what? A cool mug

Ban ana Ho Cho t c o l Ser ving ate s: 2

Instructions: Smash up the bananas with a fork, then add the milk and mix together (easier with a blender/mixer). Put it into a pot, wait until warm and add cocoa powder, whisking until nice and smooth.

A D&D C A M PA I G N D I A RY

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A D&D C A M PA I G N D I A RY

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A D&D C A M PA I G N D I A RY

A N A RT I C L E

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NANA

POEM

L I T E R A RY REFLECTION

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C O N C E RT E T I QU E T T E

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A S T O RY

S URBO TU I TXL E