Manny

Illustrated by Avery Weckman (@avweckman)

Manuelf Meadowsweet (or Manny for short, really no one but Zelf calls him Manuelf) is a NPC created by both Paul Luetkemeyer and Justin Green and portrayed by Justin. He is a hireling working under Zelf as his chefly apprentice, and despite all his hard work he can't seem to earn the approval of his master.

**General Spoiler Warning:** This page has been updated with information as of Ep 48 - Statistically horny for battle. Anything after that, if any, is not on this page.

## Description

Manny is a young, teenage elven boy, and hasn't fully grown into himself. He has blonde hair and freckles, and looks like Ocarina of Time's Link. He has blue or gray eyes. He is also described as being the "hot one" when compared to Zelf. According to Bokus, Manny is quite skinny.

Manny typically wears trainee chef clothes. At the Marth by Marth dinner, he wears a black uniform that matches the other chefs'. Once for a disguise, Astra gave him a giant lollipop to hide his face behind.

He is a little clumsy but it's a result of being put upon by Zelf. He carries most of their supplies and does all the grunt work. Zelf says Manny scares very easily, but really Zelf has no clue what Manny's personality is actually like.

## Backstory

Manny is an elf from West Mealnor, the poorer side of town. He has a large family and they used to sleep in a long bed à la Charlie and the Candy Factory.

Manny wants to become a Mealnor battle chef. He began studying under Zelf six months ago as a result of Inspector Nipip speaking to Zelf and convincing him that he could change the way Mealnor chefs are taught. Still, Zelf is quite demanding and Manny is desperate to earn his approval.

## Current Events

Manny was brought to Shadowend because his master Zelf was summoned to join. Zelf listed Manny under his effects. At the welcoming party, Manny goes to get slices of cake but is yelled at by Castien. Zelf has Manny taste-test poisoned hot sauce in preparation for Arrowpeak. Once the squad completes the Arrowpeak competition, Zelf tells Manny to join the guild protests. When they return to Shadowend, Manny helps Zelf hunt an ankheg for the dinner party.

While the squad deals with the invasion of Newhaven, Zelf leaves Manny at Waypoint where he wanders around like a lost puppy. Bokus Dore finds him there and they cook a magical eleflute soup for the returning party. Zelf gives Manny an eleflute with instructions to take care of it, presumably so Zelf can cook a better eleflute dish than Bokus.

Later, Bantaro Valentine brings Manny to Mealnor and teaches him about networking and posture. Manny reunites with Zelf at the Chairman's wake by awkwardly giving him a hug. He brings the eleflute, which he has named Piccolo. Zelf scolds him for being so friendly with Bokus but resolves to be a better teacher. Manny tries the Chairman's naga sashimi, which unfortunately gives him the dream vision Chairman left behind for Zelf.

Manny goes with Janni to the Marth by Marth dinner party to assist. He is made to milk the pervert cows. When Duke Marth dies, he assists Zelf and Janni in finishing the rest of the banquet. He dances briefly with Patty, who is trying to teach him about high society. After the dinner, he talks to Zelf and is excited to finally become a Mealnor battle chef.

Manny joins the party to go to Nan Tahrum and gets caught up in the elaborate train battle with Piccolo at his side. They climb over the train car but Manny is caught by Bruler. Zelf fights off Bruler while Manny runs to safety in Astra's car. Astra makes Manny jump off the moving train, but luckily he doesn't die and Astra heals his broken bones.

Zelf tells Manny about the time loops, but Manny still wants to be on the team. He hopes this means that he can start learning magical cooking even sooner.

## Random Facts

* Zelf thinks that Manny needs a new name because no one is going to become a famous chef named Manuelf.
	+ Zelf's name is literally Zelf, so who is he to talk.

* At Shadowend, Manny sleeps on a cot in the corner, underneath the printing press.
* According to Bokus, it is tradition to eat one's apprentice, and Zelf should be focusing on fattening Manny up.
* Paul requested that Patty gets Manny a cute accessory whenever she buys something, but it's unclear if this has happened yet.
* Zelf doesn't learn Manny's last name until Count Vilnit mentions it while in Mealnor.
	+ In Zelf's defense, he doesn't know most people have surnames since his name is just Zelf.

* Of the other party members, Manny is most afraid of Astra and the least afraid of Patty.
* Janni sometimes gives Manny tips to oil his pecs.
* Manny will drink what Zelf gives him without question, as evidenced by the time Zelf fed him holy water to check if he was a vampire.

## Character Info

### Statistics

* Mealnor battle chef (level 1)
* HP: 22
* CMD: 13
* CMB: +2

### Feats, Spells, and Abilities

* Skill focus (chef)
* Amateur inspiration
* Mealnor scholar
* Expeditious retreat

### Skills

* Profession chef
* Knowledge local
* Craft alchemy

## Trivia

* "Manny" was originally supposed to be short for "Man-servant," not "Manuelf."
* Manny is Australian now.
* Meadowsweet is a type of flowering plant that is edible.
* Manny is the star of his own Patreon-exclusive one shot.
* Manny brushes his teeth twice a day and Spotify listeners think his teeth would be very valuable.

## Appears In

### In person

* Ep 1 - Welcome to Shadowend
* Ep 2 - Janni Squad
* Ep 3 - Bread Map
* Ep 5 - Garden variety zombie
* Ep 6 - Who knows who's coming back
* Ep 7 - The Dinner Party
* Ep 16 - The Great Mealnor Bake Off
* Ep 17 - That's not being a bro
* Ep 33 - Dentistry trigger warning
* Ep 34 - I WOULD RATHER DIE
* Ep 36 - More than enough teeth for everyone
* Ep 40 - The Nine Senses
* Ep 41 - Janni confuses the crostinis
* Ep 42 - Backhand of Good Luck
* Ep 45 - Consequence Debt
* Ep 46 - The Black Market Boys
* Ep 47 - Manny-handling
* Ep 48 - Statistically horny for battle

### Mentioned

* Ep 4 - Cartoon Ankle Noose
* Ep 8 - Baby Angel
* Ep 9 - Responsibly sourced Eleflute
* Ep 12 - Grapes for an Eleflute
* Ep 15 - Like a drowned rat
* Ep 19 - Group snoop
* Ep 22 - BCBPvP
* Ep 24 - Haunted Mutton
* Ep 32 - Licking the lollipop of crime
* Ep 39 - For Dignity! For Justice! For RAID!
* Ep 49 - My teammates are already gone

## References

1. ↑ Via Paul in the Patreon Discord, search "blue and grey"
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Ep. 1
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Ep. 40
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Ep. 45
5. ↑ Ep1, 00:45:18
6. ↑ Ep. 16
7. ↑ Ep. 2
8. ↑ Ep. 5
9. ↑ Via the BCBP Tumblr: https://bcbparty.tumblr.com/post/709164853678505984/welcome-to-the-official-burnt-cook-book-party
10. ↑ Ep. 17
11. ↑ Ep. 33
12. ↑ Ep. 36
13. ↑ Image taken from the Ep. 39 animatic, posted on the BCBP Twitter: https://twitter.com/BCBParty/status/1651602099292209153
14. ↑ Ep. 42
15. ↑ Ep. 47
16. ↑ Ep. 48
17. ↑ Ep. 19
18. ↑ Ep. 34
19. ↑ Via the BCBP Twitter: https://twitter.com/BCBParty/status/1484163813419233290
20. ↑ Paul, in the Discord server
21. ↑ Justin, via his Twitter: https://twitter.com/jjgreenmachine/status/1564673933437276162
22. ↑ Via the Spotify poll on Ep. 46, which is only visible on the Spotify app.