#a trip to the kiln sounds fun too

[farmlesbians]

i want to be transformed into clay so that somebody can slap me onto a pottery wheel and spin me around super fast to mold me into whatever they want me to be .

[untitled-smp]

Broadcast #03 - Greenhouse - WZRD Verdigris Radio

In the heart of the Corroded faction, an enigmatic man, better known as the Wizard, releases his first radio broadcast to the world. We hope you’ll become a listener.

This week’s song is “Way It Goes” by Hippocampus

< =o= >

WZRD Verdigris Radio is written, produced, and edited by @theecryptiid.

The Wizard is voiced by Cass theecryptiid.

< =o= >

[Previous | Next]

[Transcript below the cut]

Good afternoon radio space! I’m happy to say that Verdigris is buzzing with more activity than ever. Seems the new folks have settled in well, and spread across this desert like far flung buzzards. 

I’ve been trying to find ways to occupy my creativity recently, though I’ve got this station now, most of my time is either spent in the booth or flipping through records to try and find the perfect song to reach the smallest corners of the server. [sighs], Honestly all the down time’s got me flipping through old photo albums, both from the previous world and the ones I managed to grab and shove into my ender chest when I was leaving the Academy all those years ago. Because it’s so dry here, nothing much green grows besides cactus, and I honestly miss walking through the lush gardens of the Academy greenhouses, and especially my old garden in the past world. 

I think I need to bring a bit more greenery to this desert, maybe call on some of the Fungus folks for help, in setting up a sprawling’ greenhouse to lay somewhere along the lines of this here town. 

Apparently, flung way far out into the dark reaches of this world, are some new creatures that could help bring some strange new plants to us. Our explorers have told me they haven’t pinpointed the exact location to find them yet, but that they’ll find it hopefully soon. I feel like it’s been such a long time since I’ve really tried anything new. You might lean back and question this, seeing as I’ve just started this station and all, but back when I was a scholar, I used to run a radio station for one of the Universities. Playing music and such, trying to impress someone who was much more into radio than I was.

[clears throat]. I’ve found that it’s good to try something new every once and a while, doing a new hobby will keep your mind from souring too much. It’ll keep you dreaming’ of new things, keep your mind spinning, and wipe away the cobwebs. I’m thinking pottery, I do live in a mesa after all, there is an abundance of clay and terracotta to use here. I’ve got a book somewhere tucked away on how to do it, that or I can definitely find one in the Verde Cock Library. There’s a building down on the pier that would be perfect as a clay studio, I’ll just have to build some kilns and set up some tables and wheels for throwing. I’ll have some wares to sell in no time.

Alright, Verdigris Radio is sponsored this week by the Malfaction, wonderful! Are you stuck in your boring faction territory? Drowning in depression? Want to have some fun? Visit the Malfaction, browse shops, adopt from an animal shelter, and get hammered while watching our glorious dictator [clears throat], “fuck it up” on the stripper pole. You can even get baptized, now doesn’t that sound enriching? Note: Ollie specifically cannot get baptized because I don’t want his ass to ascend. Alright, thank you Ceph, and thank you to the Malfaction for your support.

Besides all that, it’s been quiet out in the far reaches. Too quiet. I think the other factions are up to something, maybe I’ll take a trip out to Wisteria tomorrow afternoon and catch up with Flick. Oh and I promised Doc we'd have tea a while back, but I think he’s been down in his lab for a while, I should send him a letter and make good on that. 

I’ve got this week’s song cued up and ready, but before I sign off, I just wanted to let you all know I’ve found a way to take calls and questions! If you’ve got any of those, just send them to our mailbox, and I’ll be sure to answer them. Enjoy the tunes!

[dragonrajafanfiction]

Yamata-no-Orochi (Part 3) Betrayal

*kicks the legs out from under the table, one by one*

You’d been stuck for hours. It was extremely late but you couldn’t sleep. Caesar and Chu Zihang drove in circles before finally parking in an alley to wait. At first, it was all emergency vehicles -- Police, Fire, and EMS -- then there were many reporter trucks with satellites mushrooming from their roofs.

After that, the streets got very quiet and occasionally you spotted dark sedans driving far below the speed limit, like sharks on the hunt. Hydra was looking for Mingfei and Erii.

You lay in the back seat to keep hidden. You were still in your silver Cheongsam and heels. You stared holes in the back of the driver's seat and listened to the radio. Seventy six people were dead. Only a single person was injured. They were painting it as some wild street race gone wrong. People were describing fiery debris. Bodies, some of them in various degrees of dismemberment, were strewn all over the street. It would take days to recreate the scene. One of the things the reporters quickly picked up on was the lack of wounded. How could a car accident be so catastrophically fatal?

But the noise of the radio faded away in your mind. Instead you were remembering when you first saw Z. It wasn’t in real life. You first saw him in your dreams. When you were hurt or frightened by the nursery staff, Z would appear and ask you what you would like to happen to those people. If they stuck you with needles you would say, “I wish they would be stuck by a million needles.” And then watch as they were stuck, screaming and crying in pain, just like you were.

Or if you were beaten by the nurses, something horrible and perverse would happen to them in your dreams. Like one round nurse would swell up so big and red you could see her veins through her transparent skin and wherever you popped her she would bleed.

When you first saw Z in real life, it was the special day when you graduated from the preschool section to the adolescent section and started to use your soul skills in experiments. He stood tall and proud, his bright red-gold eyes gleaming at you. He smiled at you, a warm smile like he was the king and he could have picked anyone in the world but he picked you. That smile was a gift that beckoned you to run towards him. You thought it was a dream. But he opened his arms and hugged you.

In the back of the car, tears fell at the memory. You’d never been hugged before. Ever. A warmth spread from his arms and his body and filled you. It made you bright. It opened your mind and heart and let him in completely, without reservations. After that he was your best friend. Between him, you and Renata, you felt privileged, you learned quickly how to navigate your dangerous world and soon you were the oldest and most successful hybrids there. You were sure to go to the capital.

It was only at Anton’s death that Z showed you the truth, but he didn’t help you survive Black Swan overtly. You still had to watch your friends die. You assumed Z died too. He never reappeared in your dreams again until you nearly died in Chizuru and then you were so happy to see him again. But your relationship changed into something far more intimate. You didn’t know if you were ready for something like that. But he certainly did.

At least he never lied. He never explicitly said he loved you. He didn’t even say you could love him either. He said you didn’t know any better. Of course you didn’t. He’d groomed you since you were a child.

Remembering that made it hurt all the worse. A great shadow has fallen over your past. Now you had no happy moments to reflect on with Z. Everything was full of crevasses that hid questions and doubts. Like the boulders that would forever separate Izanami and Izanagi from each other in the underworld, you and Z were now irreconcilable.

“I haven’t seen a patrol in the past 15 minutes. Think we’re clear?” Chu Zihang asked.

“How the hell should I know? We take a risk if we wait 15 minutes or an hour.” Caesar responded. “You okay back there MC?”

You look up at him, his blue eyes reflected in the rearview mirror. “I’m pissed.” you growl.

“I bet you are.”

There was more to be said but now was not the right time.

You end up making it a room across from the hotel where Erii was staying. Lu Mingfei was waiting for you there.

Mingfei cracked open the door and then let you in.

“Take off your clothes!” Caesar said coldly.

His voice was so sharp and harsh that Lu Mingfei immediately did so, removing his shirt.

When Mingfei unbuckled his belt, Caesar snapped. “Keep your pants on… turn around.”

“Oh, you were so serious I thought I had to take off all my clothes.” Lu Mingfei said.

Chu Zihang and Caesar curiously admired the dense lines of scars on Lu Mingfei’s back. They were so numerous that you could not find a single unmarked spot on him. It was like he had endured a beating of a thousand strokes or had rolled over a bed of knives. Even Caesar and Chu Zihang were stunned speechless.

“Are you done looking? I’m kinda cold.” Mingfei peeked over and startled at the sight of you. “Ah! You didn’t tell me MC was here!”

“She doesn’t care, stop wiggling!” Caesar hummed. “Incredible self-healing ability. A trauma of this magnitude would take at least 3 weeks to heal even at a top-notch medical center. But only eight hours have passed since you were attacked. You should have bled to death on the spot.”

“That’s because the wound began to heal itself the moment he was injured. The blood vessels stopped bleeding on their own, so the blood was locked in the body. The cells filled in the wound by a high rate of division. Even the ruptured tendons were repaired.” Chu Zihang said. “This self-healing ability surprasses that of Chisei Gen and MC.”

Could this be why the principal rated him as S-rank?” Caesar mused. “If he always had this ability, wouldn’t he make the perfect meat shield? If we have another gunfight with someone, we can send him in front of us to Main Tank the damage while we lay down suppressive fire!”

“The so-called lack-of-childhood must have been an act, then? Boss, you’re so familiar with the term ‘main tank’. What do you play? Warcraft or Warhammer? Anyways, shut up about that, we’ve got a bigger problem!”

“We already know, even if you didn’t come to us, we came to you. Every news channel is broadcasting what happened last night.” Caesar grabbed the remote from the chair and turned on the TV.

You already knew the story, so you don’t bother watching it again. Something else was bothering you. Caesar said she was 21, and was staying at a love hotel, but he also said she was wrapped around his finger. Didn’t Caesar say that he was hoping for Erii to fall in love with Mingfei? The whole idea suddenly made your skin crawl!

“Caesar. Is it alright if I go to the bathroom?”

“Huh?” Caesar looked up from the TV. “Yeah sure whatever.”

You walk inside and shut the door and get as far away from the door as you can and lean against the wall. You cross your arms, your nails biting into your biceps. You understood that Erii was potentially dangerous and that was evident today. But all you could think of was Z’s gentle hug, his indulging in your punishment fantasies, the play time and the jokes. It was all fun until it wasn’t. You recall the souvenir Mingfei got from her after she rescued him, a little duck bath toy. You’d tteased him for playing with it. Mingfei said he would never bathe with a duck.

He wasn’t that much of a kid.

Fire like a kiln blazed in your stomach. This was the person Mingfei had wrapped around his little finger? As Caesar had so blithely put it? You flush the toilet and pretend to wash your hands and open the door.

The boys were already moving on, talking about something else.

Caesar was standing next to Mingfei and handing him a card. “Meet at Pier 7 in Tokyo Harbor. The address is written on this.”

“What if she loses control while on the ship?” Lu Mingfei looked frightened.

Caesar handed him a box of medication encased in a glass vial to Lu Mingfei: “Isoproterenol, a strong anesthetic. Give her this medication. It will reduce her vital signs to a minimum and she will sleep until she gets to China. Give her some glucose half way through the trip.”

“But she’s very weak now!” Lu Mingfei raised his voice. “Injecting a very weak person with a strong anesthetic and only living on glucose for seven days? What if she dies?”

Caesar patted his shoulder: “We don't want her to die either, but this is the most feasible way to deal with it right now. She is a deadly weapon that could get out of control at any moment. And we can neither continue to hold this dangerous weapon nor return her to the Hydra, so the only way to do that is to send her out of Japan. It would take a bit of a risk, but it would get her out of Tokyo, the center of controversy. She’s the strangest hybrid we know of, perhaps related to the awakening of the White King. And with her gone, it would be the equivalent of a dangerous element being removed.”

Wait a minute. This didn’t sound like Caesar. The way Caesar was talking about her to Mingfei was not the way he talked about her to you. The way he talked to you was that she was a beautiful girl and that hoped Lu Mingfei and the Uesugi Clan Chief would get together!

Mingfei seemed convinced by this however.

Chu Zihang spoke up. “Caesar and I have discussed this before we came. And this is the only way. Find an excuse to take her out and bring her to the dock tomorrow at exactly four in the morning. She trusts you and should agree to board the ship with you.”

Chu Zihang’s words were like a bomb going off. “Uh… excuse me!” You say.

“What is it?” Caesar asked, his voice slightly dismissive.

“Why don’t you just tell her the truth?” Your face was awash in indignant confusion.

“What? Are you kidding?” Mingfei squeaked.

“No, I’m not kidding! Caesar just said,  ‘make up an excuse’. You’re going to lie to her!” You lower your voice to a whisper but point sharply at the hotel across the street. “Do you think she’s stupid?! When she finds out that you’re lying, she will go absolutely nuts!”

“MC.” Caesar took a breath. “MC… I know how you feel but now is really not the time.”

“No, you’re being cruel. Mingfei, you should know better!” You snarl. “You are her only friend, her only one! You are under an obligation to be upfront with her or else you’re no better than Herzog! You should know better. All of you should know better!”

“Hey…” Caesar growled, his eyes darkening. “This is completely different. Don’t compare me to that asshole.”

“What if she loses it? You don’t know if she can handle that sort of information. She’s extremely mentally unstable!” Mingfei whimpered.

“There is nothing more destabilizing than being betrayed by the people you trust.” You stare at  Caesar accusingly. “After all this time, after all you know about me. You turn around and pull this?” You take a shaking breath. “She is a child.”

The room descended into an uneasy silence and no one moved or spoke. The only sound was the continuous rain on the window and the rumble of distant thunder.

“That’s your plan? Tell her the truth. Are you going to take responsibility for her going on a rampage after she hears that she’s dying? Not everyone is that strong, MC.” Caesar was completely expressionless. He only got this way when he was upset.

You take a breath and let it out. You start to speak and nothing comes. You shake your head, struggling. “The man who told me I was dying was the man who loved me.” 

You turn away and leave the room to regain control of yourself.

A few moments later, Chu Zihang exited with a box of tissues but he quickly saw it wasn’t needed. You were just staring blankly at the wall in the hall. 

“Caesar has decided to let you go. He wants you to stay with Mingfei tonight and go with them to the docks tomorrow. Take the ship to China with them.”

“What’s stopping me from telling her the truth on the way there?”

“Mingfei will drug both of you.” Chu Zihang said.

You turn to look at him and then immediately turn away, your heart sinking. “He views me the same way. So much for the ‘I'm not Godzilla’ speech huh?”

“Things aren’t always black and white. A lot has happened. You’re in obvious danger from something we don’t understand. You may not realize it but your mental state is not the same as when you arrived.” Chu Zihang’s voice was soft, barely above a whisper. “Your mind is going too.”

You just shake your head. “All I hear are excuses. Excuses for him to be a hypocrite.”

Chu Zihang sighed, and you see for a moment how tired he was.. “You don’t have any say in the matter. The decision is unanimous, not only between me and him, but also Lu Mingfei.” 

You drop your arms from your chest, limply.

He looked down at you, his eyes cold. “If you defy the orders, I won’t hold back. From your training you should understand what I mean.”

The door opened and Caesar walked out. “Alright, let’s go Chu.” He paused next to you, his eyes cloudy. “I care about you. I really do. But there’s too much you just don’t understand. We’ll talk about getting you back to Japan once this is all over.”

You look up at him and shake your head. “The key to my survival is in Tokyo. If I leave, you won’t see me again..

He reaches out to hug you and you let him. You take a deep breath of the smell of his shirt which still smelled of those fine Cubans. It might be the last time. He really did believe what he was doing was the right thing even though it directly contradicted what he said before. 

“Don’t say goodbye. I’ll see you later.” Caesar said. “Keep an eye out on the two love birds.”

He walked away and didn’t bother looking back.

You return to the room with Lu Mingfei and sigh. “What a mess.”

He laughed but there was no humor in it.. “Yeah no kidding.” He was holding a modified pistol in his hand, one of Caesar’s Desert Eagles!

“What… are you doing with that?” You shiver violently. 

“If she gets out of control, I will have to shoot her. The bullet inside is specially made to be completely lethal. Even to dragons.” He mumbled. His eyes were dark pools and you couldn’t read the emotion in them. “If, for some reason that doesn’t work, you’re to finish her off.”

“Will you use that against me too?”

After a long silence he continued. “Turns out we actually are going to be at war this whole time. Me and Erii were never going to happen. You and I were never going to happen. I tend towards being a human. You and Erii tend towards the dragon side. If we go to battle, we have to use all our resources against each other and fight tooth and nail. It doesn’t matter if you sit together on a Ferris wheel or… talk all night on the phone or… run through the streets in the rain.”

He lifts his head to you. “If that day comes, we just have to grab our weapons and fight.”

He looks back down at the gun. “You were raised to fight. It’s what you know. But Erii… she doesn’t know anything.”

Outside the window it was pouring rain.

[lizzievelnias]

Self-Para bouncing between Edgar and Lizzie’s POV.  Long as hell so don’t feel obligated to read.  TLDR: Edgar found out Lizzie’s secret and she’s not happy about it.

It was well into the middle of the night but that made no difference to Edgar.  He enjoyed walking around Wildemount when everything was so quiet, so peaceful.  He decided to make a trip to the old cemetery, something he hadn’t done in a while.  Moving around the field of tombstones with practiced ease, the vampire stopped at one in particular towards the back of the plot.  ‘Victoria Wayne, Mother, Wife, Daughter. 18xx-18xx.’  The inscriptions were fading with time, but he knew them by heart.  He had spent hours tracing the letters over and over with his finger for years.  It was surreal, standing in front of his mother’s grave when she was very much alive now.

He stood there for a while, quietly contemplating all the changes in his life.  Never in his wildest dreams did he think he would be reunited with those so dear to him.  To have friends that knew who he was and didn’t think any less of him.  To have a spark of hope in his chest for a romantic connection with a man that was kind, funny, smart.  The century of loneliness was finally coming to an end.

Edgar was roused from his thoughts by a rustling sound not too far off.  Curious, he looked around, spotting a small girl dragging something heavy through the grass.  Perplexed, the vampire almost called out when the distinct scent of blood, fresh human blood, hit him in a wave.  At first he panicked, concerned that someone was hurt and the girl was trying to drag them to safety, but that thought was quickly disproven as she rounded the corner of a crypt.  The caretaker’s cabin was in the opposite direction, so what was she doing?  

Silently the vampire followed, ready to intervene if need be.  As he moved closer to the crypt he noticed the sound of a crackling fire.  Peering over the edge, Edgar watched in horror as the small girl struggled to shove a dead body into a fire pit.  The body was covered in blood, open wounds visible all along the torso and neck.  He needed to get someone, anyone.  

It was at that moment his phone started to ring.  Edgar fumbled with the device, trying to silence it, catching a glimpse of the caller ID.  It was Leo, probably wondering when he would be back from his walk.  Looking back up, he noticed with a sinking heart that the girl was gone.  A crack of a branch nearby shot a chill down the vampire’s back.  He needed to leave, now.  And so he takes off running, hindered only as he stumbles over a tombstone.  Unbeknownst to the vampire he had dropped his phone in the process.  

*~*~*~*

The cremation kiln was broken and the mechanic said he wasn’t going to come by til next week, lazy asshole.  So in the meantime, Lizzie had to get rid of their old toys the hard way.  She waited until the middle of the night, figuring that would be the safest time to dispose of the bodies.  She set a fire in one of the crypts and got to work dragging them one by one from the basement.  

She was completely oblivious to the man standing in the cemetery.  He was quiet the entire time and hardly moved at all, giving the witch no cause for alarm.  So she continued on with her work, huffing at the exertion of dragging a fully grown adult along the grass.  Taking a moment to catch her breath, Lizzie braced herself for the hardest part, lifting the body into the fire pit, when a phone ringing stopped her dead in her tracks.  She looked up to see a man fumbling with his phone.  Oh, he was so dead.  

While setting him on fire would be the easiest, Lizzie wanted to have a little fun.  She deserved that much after all the hard work she’d been putting in.  Slinking into the shadows, the witch slowly crept onto her victim, only to be thwarted by a tree branch cracking under her foot.  She pouted and huffed in anounce as the man took off running.  Now she was gonna have to chase him down.  Unfortunately Lizzie was no match for vampiric speed and agility and the stranger was well out of her sight before long.

“Fuuuuuuck,” she grumbled to herself.  Chiara was going to be so pissed.  The witch threw her head back to let out a groan of frustration.  Bringing her head back to a level position, she noticed something bright amidst the darkness of the cemetery.  Moving closer, a dark smile graced her lips as she picked up the forgotten phone.  The screen was lit up, giving a notification of a voice message.  The background was a selfie of the man and some dark haired woman.  Maybe Chiara didn’t need to find out about this, as long as Lizzie could deal with it herself.

*~*~*~*

The first thing Edgar wanted to do was go to the police, but all he had was a physical description of the girl.  He had no idea who she was.  Even then, would they believe him?  Man goes walking through a cemetery at three in the morning, he’s bound to imagine things going bump in the night.  Still, the vampire needed to talk to someone, anyone.  He decided he’d confide in his mother first.  Of course Leo and Leyla were also viable options, both of whom he valued their opinions greatly, but there was something particularly comforting about reaching out to his mother at this moment.  

Reaching into his pocket, the vampire realized with a cold dread that his phone was gone.  Fuck.

*~*~*~*

First sign of daybreak Lizzie was out on the streets, stopping anyone she could to ask them about the man in the picture.  “Do you know this guy?  I think he dropped his phone.”  The stupid thing was locked, so she couldn’t get any more info other than what the guy looked like.  She hit her luck on the fourth person she asked.  “Yeah, that’s Professor Wayne, over at the Uni.  He teaches English.  He should be in later today.”  A grin formed on her lips as she thanked the stranger.  Perfect.

Wasting no time at all, Lizzie grabbed a few supplies and headed to the university.  The doors were still locked, but that didn’t matter.  A rock through the window was an easy enough solution.  It took her awhile to find this guy’s office.  She had no idea where anything was in this fucking place, and it was massive.  The witch wandered aimlessly, carrying her supplies with absolute glee.  Oh man, she wished she could see his reaction later.  

Finally finding the right room, Lizzie touched the door knob, using her fire to melt away the metal.   The door silently swings open, the grin never leaving the witch’s lips. 

*~*~*~*

Edgar doesn’t understand why everyone’s staring at him as he walks down the halls, whispering as their eyes seem to follow his every movements.  It’s unsettling to say the least.  Rounding the corner it all becomes clear.  He hadn’t noticed the fire engine and cop cars coming into work, his mind hyper focused on the night previous.  

His office was nothing but a charred remain.  According to the officer on standby they were lucky to get to it as soon as they did, otherwise it could have easily spread to other rooms.  On the door remained a message written in blood.  “We know who you are.”  His phone laid on the floor just outside his office, a bloody heart drawn on the screen.  

[scottspizzatours]

Lacee Perry of Anodyne Coffee and Pizza

Anodyne is a coffee roaster that also makes pizza. How did that all come together? Was it coffee first, then pizza? It seems a bit strange at first to have chosen pizza over sandwiches or more typical coffee shop offerings, but at the heart of it, both pizza and coffee are equally elusive creatures. We have been roasting coffee and operating retail cafes since 1999. We love coffee and it is really at the heart of what the company does, but pizza has always been a soft spot for me. My sister-in-law lives in Carol Gardens and we began visiting and eating as much pizza as our bellies could hold in the late nineties (when Grimaldis’ was where Juliana’s is and well before the fire at Totonno’s). We also took a trip to Italy during that time period and flew home with the intention to find pizza similar to what we had during our travels. This proved more difficult than we had anticipated! Pub pizza and deep dish prevailed (still do, really) in Milwaukee and we were not able to get wood fired pizza that stood up to what we had while we were in Italy. That’s when we took the leap and had a wood fired pizza oven installed in our tiny Bay View back yard.  We loved making pizza as a hobby, and it was a great way to entertain family (I am one of 10 kids and my husband is one of 7, so family gatherings are generally big affairs…Irish/Italian Catholics). As we continued teedleing and fiddling with dough recipes and flour and toppings and heat and timing and fermentation times….some space became available in one of our cafes where we used to roast coffee. We moved the coffee roaster to a larger roasting space and were left with a hole in the ceiling, a very heavily reinforced floor, and lots of food-grade quarry tiled flooring. I quit my full-time job as a Speech and Language Pathologist, and just a touch over a year later we were rolling in a Stefano Ferarra oven and figuring out how the fork mixer worked compared to our home Kitchen Aid. I also found out two months before the oven arrived from Naples that I was pregnant with our fourth child! It was a very busy year, but one of the best.  

What style of pizza do you make and why? I make wood fired pizza that resembles pizza found in Naples, but with Milwaukee ambiance and Mid-Western weather. Wood fired pizza is just so damn fun to make. There are so many minuscule elements to teeter with that each day is different. There are so many adjustments to be made from fermentation time, to hydration, to the type of wood (kiln dried, oak, apple, the size pieces and when to add them to the fire), to what brand of flour and when it was milled. Each day presents a different factor to consider and adjust for.  After all the decisions are made, I get to start the fire in the oven, see the end results, and continue to adjust based on what is coming off the fire. I’m always chasing my idea of what the pizzas should look and taste like. It’s a never-ending balancing act, and it is incredibly fun.  A bonus to all of this is we have an amazing all female crew. That’s pretty rare in the pizza world (I think!), especially with wood-fired pizza. The energy and pride and enthusiasm that comes out of our kitchen is a pretty special thing.  

How are the processes for coffee and pizza production similar? Do you have any crossover of staff working both sections, or are they entirely separate? They are surprisingly similar. Coffee is a crop, which means it changes with each season. We source green coffee beans, sample roast them to determine roasting profiles, and then roast them to serve in our cafes, sell by the pound, and sell to wholesale accounts. The roast profiles change with the season and the characteristics of the crops that year.

With pizza we are also constantly source new produce, cheese, and meats to go on pizza specials or to improve the offerings on the regular menu. In the summer I make the rounds to the weekly farmers’ markets to pick up produce that is the freshest and will work best with the type of pizzas we are making.  Many times what you think will work great falls short or needs to be prepped differently because it’s hitting a 850 degree oven and only has 60-90 seconds to do its thing. Many times the garlic vendor or woman with the best tomatoes is not there that week, or the market gets rained out and you have to adjust your plan. We move with the veggie crop that are in season just as we do with the green coffee beans. Both are fun challenges (and addicting)

What’s your favorite pizza/coffee pairing? If it’s brunch on a Sunday a nice roasted potato pizza with an over easy eggs bellies up nicely with a round Guatemalan or Brazil.

If it’s dinner on a Wednesday a nice fruity Ethiopian settles in nicely with either our beet tops and blood orange or shaved kumquat and lemon pizza with creamy white sauce.

If it’s a hot summer day everything goes with the nitro cold brew. Everything.

What is your current challenge in running the business, particularly one with a split personality? In the beginning it was hard to get folks to understand that we are dedicated to perfecting both coffee and pizza.  It’s getting easier for customers to understand that we can kick out some super great fresh pizzas while continuing to source, roast, and serve super nice fresh coffee. We are known as a coffee company first, and that will hold true forever. The pizza is a very nice perk.

Another adjustment has been for our barista staff to begin to act in a server roll when it’s needed. There has had to be a lot of training related to speaking as fluently about crust and ingredients and as they are able to speak to coffee. It’s a constant work in progress and there is always so much more to learn about both pizza and coffee. We are lucky to have the best staff (all of whom love pizza).  

I noticed on your website that you have a pretty robust schedule of live music. How did that get folded into the business model? When we moved the roaster from the space where the pizza oven is now we ended up building out both a roastery and a retail café in that same building.  The building itself is pretty big. The original half of the building was built in 1920. During the build out we discovered a beautiful curved wooden ceiling and wooden beams surrounded by cream city brick (white brick that is common to Milwaukee from that time period). We figured the sound in the room had to be pretty good, so we notched out a stage area during the initial build out not knowing exactly what would come of it. Over the last few years we have been able to have some great acts, both local and traveling, make their way through.  It’s been a nice addition to the business

What’s next for Anodyne? Are you looking into expansion or satisfied having a single space with multiple personalities? There are no plans as of now to expand the pizza side of things. It’s a very exacting balance of insanity and compulsion. I’m too particular with it to hand off to just anyone. For now I’m happy with the quality and consistency that we have built in our corner of the pizza world.  

As for more cafes, we keep our eyes peeled for under-caffeinated neighborhoods that are looking for a great place to drink great coffee and chat with their neighbors.  

*This post is part of a month-long series featuring women in the pizza industry in honor of Women’s History Month!

[fearofaherobrine]

Roleplay Server Log #280

“Dawn Repairs Sally, Pottery Lessons”

[Splender] He and Sally are about to head out of the server to gather supplies for his brother's gift-

[Sally] Is bouncing excitedly- Let's go!  Let's go!

[Gk] Is flopped across the path and twitches his goatlike ears at the childish sound- Hmm?

[Sally] Laughs as she grabs onto Splender's leg-

[Gk] Picks up his head and looks at her quizzically- Who's the kid?

[Splender] - Oh!  Gk!  Hello, this is Sally!

[Gk] Twitches his ears - is she one of the village kids?

[Splender] - No, she's a pasta!

[Gk] Aww, a little pasta? - Leans his head near her - Looks like a cute little macaroni type. -winks at her-

[Sally] Hides behind Splender a little-

[Splender] - We're going to go get some stuff for her gift to my brother for his birthday

[Gk] Which brother? I don't think you'd take a little kid to buy something for Offender!- snorts -What's the matter kid, you scared of me?

[Splender] - She's always nervous around new people, especially men...

[Sally] - No, it's for papa

[Gk] Oh. I can.. uh.. hang on- He transforms and isn't much taller then Sally in his human shape. - Who's your dad? I thought BEN was the only pasta with a kid?

[Sally] - Papa Slender!

[Splender] - Brother is strangely defensive of her and has taken on a parental role for her, especially after what happened to her

[Gk] Oh the biggest brother! Reminds me of Cp. Murderous to adults, but nice to kids...

[Sally] - You know CP?  He's one of the ones who plays with me the most!

[Splender] - Actually...

[Gk] Yep. He's my drinking buddy. Though not as often lately since I'm helping raise Endrea's kiddos.

[Sally] - Oh, it's been a lot more quiet since almost nobody is home...  And Endrea is cute when she's rteally tiny!

[Gk] You should visit more often then. She's got three little kids of her own that are near always feeling playful.

[Sally] - Okay!  But first we have to go get some shells for Papa!

[Gk] shells?

[Sally] - For his present!

[Gk] You're going to give him shells? Will they at least have edible stuff in them?

[Sally] - No!  To decorate a vase!  Splendy's going to help me!

[Gk] Cocks his head at her - Why don't you use gems? Something sparkly?

[Sally] - Because I wanna use shells!

[Gk] Okay? - Looks at Splender in confusion.

[Splender] - That's just how humans are, now we should be going before it gets dark out

[Gk] Do you want me to walk with you? The mobs usually leave me the nether alone.

[Splender] - Oh no, we're going out to the real world

[Gk] Oh. Okay. Well look out for MIBs and stuff.

[Splender] - Oh trust me, we're going someplace safe

[Gk] What would you consider safe?

[Splender] - Dawn's island!

[Gk] Oh, the witch. Yeah, I'd say that's pretty safe. I hear it's isolated as all get out and well... Basil is here already.

[Splender] - Yup!

[Sally] - Splendy!  Let's go!

-The morning in the woods dawn's crisp and icy and Doc is pacing a little bit. -

[Doc] Xe throws the bunker door open and the light streams in fully, bringing with it a breath of cold, clean air.

[Lie] - Shut the door!

[Doc] Ignores her and leans out to see. - Wow...

[Lie] - Doc that's too cold

[Doc] Fine. - Xe closes the door except for a crack and goes outside.

-The snow has fallen and covered everything in pure white drifts nearly knee deep, and more against the sides of the building. Hir breath fogs out and hir boots crunch in the snow. The trees are just bare black branches clawing at the empty blue sky. -

[Lie] Is grumbling inside, trying to build the warmth back up again-

[Doc] Turns back to look at the door. The scratches are still there, incised deep into the metal, but some of them seem somehow fresher.

[Lie] Mentally- Why do you want to be out there is the frozen hell scape?

[Doc] It's actually kind of pretty. I'm not used to snow being more then just a white dusting on the ground.

[Lie] - How much is out there?

[Doc] It's pretty deep, about to your knees. But it's super powdery.

[Lie] - That's pretty deep, don't try to walk through it, you don't know where there might be holes

[Doc] Makes hir way carefully back to the door and steps down hard into a slushy spot. The muck leaves a black film on one boot and xe shakes it with some annoyance. - Too late...

[Lie] - Come on back and warm up by the fire

[Doc] Walks back in and leaves hir wet jackboots by the door.

-The brackish film slides slowly down the leathery surface and pools under the boot, getting into the crevices between the sole and the heelplate.

[Doc] Is wearing purple socks and skips quickly over to sit by the lava pool. - The ground is wet under all that ice.

[Lie] - Yeah that happens.  So, anything other than your brief excursion outside planned for today?

[Doc] Well I would have happily gone for a longer walk, but it's probably a bad idea. I don't want to get lost. Are we running low on anything?

[Lie] - Not that I can tell, we still have a tiny bit of Chinese food too

[Doc] Darn... I was kind of looking for an excuse to pop back for a few.

[Lie] - Why?  Do you need to get anything?

[Doc] No, I just get worried.

[Lie] - Then go, I can hold down the fort here

[Doc] Are you sure? It's not really fair to keep leaving you.

[Lie] - I'll be fine, actually, there is something you could get for me while you're over there

[Doc] Anything.

[Lie] - A small vial of the lust nectar

[Doc] Gulps - I might have one... stored someplace...

[Lie] - I would appreciate it

[Doc] Can do. - Xe pulls hir shoes back on and opens the way to the server. Xe takes a welcome breath of the warm air and walks briskly from the spawn towards hir house. The front door opens with a familiar creak and the Doctor doesn't even notice the black footprint hir boot leaves on the carpet at the bottom of the stairs. Later that night, the mark isn't there anymore anyway.

[Sally] Is giddily playing in the shallow waves on the sandy beaches of Dawn's island-

[Splender] Is watching her from the shade of the trees-

[Dawn] Slips silently through the trees and stands next to Splender. - Aww. You brought a ghost out for a nice day at the beach? She's so young. Poor child.

[Mort] Is carring Samedi in his arms, the black rooster looks comfy and drowsy. He was obviously letting Dawn see who was there first. - Oh, hey Splender. It's a lovely day isn't it?

[Splender] - Oh hello you two! Yes, we came out here to find some shells, but somebody seems to be having a bit more fun with the water at the moment [Sally] Reaches for something in the water that she picks up- Splender! I found a crab!

[Splender] - Careful! Don't let it pinch you!

[Sally] Runs back over to Splender to show him the crab but when she see's Dawn and Mort she gets shy and looks at Splender for reassurance-

[Mort] gently- That's a big old crab! Those guys are pinchy.

[Sally] Nods a little and then looks at Splender- Splendy?  Can we keep it?

[Splender] - No Sally, it lives here, but maybe it can stay with us while we're visiting

[Samedi] ruffled feathers, and opens one eye to look at the girl. Sensing something off about her

[Splender] Creates a bucket and holds it out for Sally- Here, put mister crab in here

[Sally] Drops the crab in and then looks at it- He's hungry

[Dawn] They'll eat pretty much anything, they're scavengers

[Sally] - Like cookies?

[Dawn] Maybe? You can try.

[Sally] Looks at Splender- Cookie please

[Splender] Laughs and pulls a sugar cookie out of his sleeve- Such good manners

[Sally] Drops it into the bucket with the crab- There he goes

[Mort] Is petting the chicken softly. It keeps opening and closing its beak, but there's no sound.  

[Splender] Creates another bucket- Here you go, why don't you put the shells in here.  We need to hurry so we can make the present

[Sally] - Okay!- She goes running off with both buckets on the hunt for shells

[Dawn] Oh no... is it time to glue shells to things?

[Mort] Snorts-

[Splender] - Nope!  Pressing into clay to make a vase!

[Dawn] I have nice clay and a kiln if she just wants to make a pot...

[Splender] - Oh really?  That would be wonderful since I don't know much about clay myself

[Mort] Wanders over to Sally- Do you want some help?

[Dawn] Certainly. Mort's very good at making ceramics. I mostly do the firing. But Doc gave us a bunch of really nice clay if you want to partake.

[Splender] - I just might

[Sally] - Hi!  I like your chicken!

[Mort] Thank you. His name is Samedi, you can pet him if you want.

[Samedi] Looks at her quizzically.

[Sally] Puts one of her buckets down and reaches out to pet the bird-

[Samedi] Is petted and stays perfectly quiet. His coat is glossy and black and his tail feathers arch over Mort's elbow and trail a little.

[Sally] Giggles- Will you help me find shells?

[Mort] Sure! - He transfers the rooster to his shoulder and helps her look.

[Sally] Splashes through some of the water and then runs towards a rock.  As she runs, she trips and falls, hitting her head on it.  Her entire demeanor shifts as her color dulls and her clothes become dirtier and blood begins to flow down her face-

[Mort] Rushes to her as the rooster clings to his hoodie - Splender!

[Dawn] Also rushes to help-

[Splender] Turns to look- Wait!  Don't touch her!

[Mort] Brushes her clothing and then jerks away at Splenders yell -

[Samedi] Goes crazy flapping madly at Sally and opening his beak as if to caw at her-

[Dawn] Gives a startled hiss at the childs appearance

-The brief contact was all Sally's abilities needed as Mort becomes petrified as his mind is barraged from memories of when Sally was living.  The small ghost reaches down and picks up the rock-

[Splender] Teleports to Sally and stops her from moving any farther- Shhhhh, it's okay, he's not here.  You're safe little one- He's trying to coax the rock from Sally's hand so she can't bash in Mort's skull

[Mort] Is sitting in the water crying as Dawn reaches him.

[Dawn] Is already turning to snatch the rock out of her hand as Splender appears.

[Sally] Is crying- Don't let him get me...

[Splender] - Shhh, it's okay, remember?  Papa already took care of him

[Mort] Just curls up as Dawn lifts him and the rooster from the water.

[Dawn] She carries him solemly to the shore and sets him down, protecting him with her arms and magick.

[Mort] Lets out a small sob.

[Splender] - I'm so sorry about this, if I'd been a little faster in my warning...

[Mort] Is hugging himself. - Why...?

[Dawn] -sighs-

[Splender] - She's a creepy pasta, it's the way she's found to be able to disable her prey so she can kill them

[Dawn] I think he means just why in general Splender. His mom was abusive. He has a lot of bad memories of his own already.

[Splender] - Sally's parents weren't the abusive ones, it was her uncle

[Dawn] Still... It's nothing he wants to think about.

[Splender] - I apologize...  If you want us to leave...

[Sally] Is just crying into Splender's jacket now-

[Dawn] I take it this is something she can't control?

[Splender] - No, it isn't.  The bleeding and dulling of her colors is normal for when she gets upset, it was her hitting her head that kicked her killing instinct into gear

[Mort] Could we... bless her? Would that help at all?

[Splender] - I don't know

[Dawn] It helped him, and it won't hurt someone who's already dead.

[Splender] - If you're certain,  brother would be very upset if anything happened to her

[Dawn] If there's one thing I'm good with Splender, it's the dead and undead. I've been given power over them by my patron.

[Splender] Looks down at Sally- Are you alright now?

[Sally] Peeks at Dawn and Mort- I'm sorry

[Mort] I forgive you.

[Dawn] Me as well.

[Mort] Come over here, I want to show you something. - He's still sitting on the sand with Dawn behind him-

[Sally] Nervously looks at Splender who encourages her over, she goes over, still bloody-

[Mort] Pats the ground for her to sit in front of him. The sand is warm, white and powdery.

[Sally] Sits, looking curiously at Mort-

[Mort] Dawn's father, and for all in intents and purposes, my father-in-law is Azrael, the angel of Death.

[Sally] - Who?

[Dawn] The Grim Reaper? Very tall skeleton in a black robe with silvery gray wings?

[Sally] Shrugs-

[Mort] There's a small creaking noise as he smirks his skull a little. - It's okay, the point is he gave me something special. A blessing energy to help keep me alive. - He reaches down and unzips his hoodies so the front falls open. The empty ribs inside are lit up from within by a plume of green fire dancing in the center of the space.

[Sally] - Doesn't that burn?

[Mort] No, it's actually a little bit cold. - He passes a hand over where his heart would be and some of the flames jump to his fingers, dancing between the bones.

[Sally] Watches with fascination-

[Mort] Do you mind if I touch you with it? It may help you forget your re-occuring nightmare.

[Sally] - No more Uncle Joe?

[Mort] Yes.

[Sally] - Okay

[Dawn] Give me a moment... - She stands up fully and drags her heel in a circle around them making some gestures and quiet words in the cardinal directions before coming back to put her hands on her mate's shoulders from behind again- Ready.

[Splender] - Oh do be careful

[Mort] I will, it's a good energy. Watch this. - He wipes his hand on the sand and it leaves a trail of green shoots of grass on the formerly pristine surface.

[Sally] - Plants!

[Mort] Are you ready?

[Dawn] Is gathering her energies as well and feeds them into him-

[Mort] He holds out his own bony fingers, all wreathed in fire. -Take my hands please.

[Sally] Reaches for his hands, her smaller ones fitting snuggly inside his bony ones-

[Dawn] Lifts her voice and the words flow like water around the circle-  In nomine Angelus custos est ad finem omnia, ut iubes animam tuam. Liber esto darkess esta est, et vade in odium suum et foedum habent quod putent adhuc vestram narrando revocare. Esta volo mundare et ex contagio alios afficiunt. Iustitiae omnino mercedis accepit te. In Gruva nomen liberari. Sic fiat semper. -

[Mort] The green fire wreathes the three of them briefly and then slides back inside him.

-The circle is now full of a lush carpet of grass that ends exactly at the line Dawn made in the sand.

[Dawn] Makes a starred circle with her right hand and quietly releases the corners of the temporarily sacred space.

[Sally] - I feel funny...

[Mort] Uncurls his fingers gently - Funny good?

[Dawn] Shakes herself off a bit- That was heavy stuff...

[Sally] - I think so?

[Splender] Swoops in to hug Sally- Oh thank goodness you're alright!

[Dawn] Well I don't suggest we injure her to test it, so let me know how it goes, okay?

[Splender] - Oh absolutely!   Now what do we say Sally?

[Sally] - Thank you

[Mort] Can we go make pots now?

[Dawn] Chuckles-

[Sally] - That's right!  Papa's gift!

[Dawn] Come on then- Motions up the path.

[Samedi] Goes strutting ahead-

[Sally] Is put down and she follows along behind Dawn-

-The group passes through a lot of jungle and enters into a clearing bordered on the back and sides by a sheer rock face. The rooster disturbs the chickens pecking in the yard and they scatter a bit at the newcomers approach. Mort picks his way between the lush garden and the side of the house back to a shed with an open side, pulling the tarp away to reveal what's within. There's a wheel and a long table and shelves with pots in various stages of completion. The most striking thing though is a huge clay block, nearly square but missing a chunk off one corner.

[Splender] - Ready to work Sally?

[Sally] Nods eagerly-

[Mort] Good. Here, I'll set you up. -He takes a wire with a bit of wood on either end like a garrotte and uses it to slice a hunk of clay from the block. It's already perfect and moist and he drops it on the table for her. There are already some tools laying around with weird ends and smoothing edges.

[Sally] Plunges her fingers into it-

[Mort] Watches her - are we doing pinch or coil?

[Sally] - I don't know what that means

[Mort] Well pinch is like this- He takes a ball and shoves his thumb into the center- then you just go around and around and make the walls thinner by squeezing.

[Sally] Plops the clay onto the table- It makes a funny noise!

[Mort] Yep, it's squishy!

[Splender] Just sits back to watch-

[Dawn] Is watching bemused - You want in Splender?

[Splender] - Oh no, I'm happy to watch

[Dawn] Are you sure? With those long fingers you might get a kick out of the wheel.

[Mort] Is showing Sally how to roll a snake for coiling pots.

[Sally] Is making snake noises as she does so-

[Splender] - Oh I've done it many times in the past, but I find it more entertaining to see what children come up with

[Dawn] Ah, okay. Well you're always welcome to do so here. We've got plenty of clay and it fires better if the kiln is nice and full.

[Splender] - I will keep that in mind

[Sally] - Is just having fun, her vase having several little holes in it-

[Mort] I know a better way to use the shells too!

[Sally] - Really?

[Mort] Smooths out a bit of clay with a rubber tool and takes a shell before pressing it deeply into the clay- the actual shells would break in the kiln, but the textures make all kinds of interesting stamped patterns.

[Sally] Cool!- Starts pressing them everywhere

[Mort] If you want, I can glaze it too, then it will be all glassy and smooth - gestures at some finished pieces around them.

[Sally] - Pretty

[Mort] Just pick a color.

[Sally] - Pink!

[Mort] Okay, I'll make a note. You just work on that part. Make sure the walls aren't any thicker then this -Pinches his fingers to show her a small amount of space. - and try not to fold the clay over itself. Bubbles will make it blow up.

[Sally] - Okay!- Shew sticks out her tongue in concentration

[Splender] Hums in contentment as he leans back, ready to be patient-