#whiskey fungus

[bourbontrend]

Discover the shadowy side of spirit-making! Dive into our article about whiskey fungus - the unseen impact of distilleries. Explore the unique ecosystem thriving on ethanol vapors, the challenges and solutions for communities near distilleries, and why this matters to whiskey lovers and environmentalists alike. Don't miss out on uncovering this intriguing phenomenon!

[stuck-in-the-ghost-zone]

OHG ASK GAME!! to me u r goldenrod, mahogany, ruby and green!! also pink. rainbow of colours <3 LOWKEY rust as well tbh. giving u a fist bunp ur so cool

LMAO CALLINF ME OUT W RUST yeah... maybe so... ur so correct....

BUT ALSO. YES ABSOLUTELY we SHOULD watch a sunset and touch grass and listen to playlists and . WAUGH. exchanging notes with our trigun playlists. big minds. ALSO BITING YOU. >:]

[elodieunderglass]

Re: your tags on the fungus and petrochemicals:

Excuse me, bramble wine? That sounds absolutely divine, how lucky you are! I hope you enjoyed it (and that I get to make/taste this one day)

(In reference to this post: https://www.tumblr.com/elodieunderglass/757191605386084352/oh-heavens-im-sorry-i-dont-remember-this-at I had to apologise for not being especially coherent in my response to an extraordinarily kind and friendly person as I was several days into a group camping, and had touched too much grass to be coherent, setting aside the bramble wine.)

The camping expedition consisted of seven+ families with children who all know each other extremely well and are growing up in a feral pack together that averages about 30 members. The pack forms at the conjunction of any five children, and therefore often exists in multiple places at once; a mini version can be assembled from as few as two of the core families, but when you have seven of the core, the pack becomes its own entity. For example, exhibiting a fascinating reflection of the hunting behavior of ancestral humans, ten of them together once managed to stalk, hunt and bring down a dragon costume performer at a local festival and sit on it in a few seconds when the adults weren’t looking. They had the light of the hunt in their eyes and they were GOING to have that dragon. Anyway this is not conducive to clear and accurate science communication at the best of times, especially since the usual reason that the pack manages to slip the leash is because the grownups are ordering pints.

For this camping expedition there was one family I didn’t know, but they live on a boat and we could vibe. They were the ones who brought the bramble wine. They were the people who sometimes evolve into Whiskey Hamishes. The bramble wine was made from foraged blackberries, and had been stored in a box on the roof of the boat (so essentially: outside) since 2019. The bottles were covered in rotten leaves and spiderwebs. This is not how you usually treat wine. Even home-brew. Even hedgerow. This is a recipe for converting free materials into as much alcohol as possible without interference.

The wine itself was similar to dark port, very heavy and thick, headachy around the edges. The alcohol percentage was estimated in the double digits. It is hard to explain but the dark black-purple color had no red in it. It was like ink.

Then, after coming into your campsite and kicking most of the party around lightly, it kissed you on the mouth one last time with a mouthful of blackberries and wandered off.

I’ve never had a hangover (hobbit liver) but I didn’t spend much time in dalliance with it. a lot of dads were pretty flat the next morning, but, to be completely fair to them, they DID rouse themselves to take the kids swimming in the river, where they (the dads) laid around recovering like beautiful crocodiles. Thus, all they had to do was lie in the cool mud while children rolled over them like puppies.

Bramble wine!

[a-cold-day-in-pentagram-city]

Adam: “Yo, Husk, give me a glass of your strongest whiskey!”

Husk: “I thought you didn’t drink?”

Adam: “For fuck’s sake, why does everyone assume I’m some kind of teetotaler?! Back in Eden; we had every species of mind-altering plant and fungus known to science, AND a few they still haven’t discovered yet! Fuck, I must have spent 90% of my time there higher than Heaven.”

Angel Dust: “…Huh. Well, that explains why you didn’t think the talking snake was weird.”

[113timesasecond]

An hour later, his blood warm with drink, he heated up a bowl of real rice and fake beans—yeast and fungus could mimic anything if you had enough whiskey first—opened the door of his hole, and ate dinner looking out at the traffic gently curving by. [...] The blue ceiling glowed in its reflected light, unchanging, static, reassuring. A sparrow fluttered down the tunnel, hovering in a way that Havelock assured him they couldn't on Earth. Miller threw it a fake bean.

—Leviathan Wakes, by James S. A. Corey

[daddy-dins-girl]

Pedro Boys - "Zombie Apocalypse Team"

this might be my favourite one yet... keep reading for headcanons!

related posts: Pedro Boys "During a Fire Emergency" Pedro Boys "Nice Argument. Unfortunately," Pedro Boys "Don't Fuck This Up" Pedro Boys "Dad(dy) Matrix" Pedro Boys & Stabbing Pedro Boys "Lawful/Neutral/Chaotic" Pedro Boys "Feral/Sad/Angelic" Pedro Boys Respond to "I love you." Pedro Boys "Character Tropes" Pedro Boys "Gay/Depressed/Horny on Main" Pedro Boys "Dad/THOT/Bastard" Pedro Boys "bring some Coke to the party" Pedro Boys "I Want a Baby" Pedro Boys "As Babysitters" Pedro Boys "As McDonald's Dads" Pedro Boys "in a horror movie" Pedro Boys "Cinnamon Rolls" Pedro Boys "5 Kids, 3 Chairs" Pedro Boys "Playing Monopoly"

Headcanons under the cut!

Leader - Dave York. Simply put, Dave wouldn’t allow anyone else to be in charge of him, regardless if they’d be better suited for it. Some of the others follow him out of fear, others simply because they'd just prefer not to be in charge.

Brawler - Joel Miller. The muscle. Not so great with his words, much better with his fists.

Weapons Expert - Din Djarin. A bonafide space cowboy, this man has it all. Blasters, rifles, flamethrower, jet pack. Evaporating infected before they even see him coming.

Brains - Marcus Moreno. Truly the Team Leader, but he lets Dave hold the title. He has the mutual respect of everyone, is level headed and the glue that holds the whole group together. He advises Dave, but in a way that makes Dave think they’re his own ideas. Marcus doesn't need to take any credit, he just wants everyone to be safe.

Medic - Frankie "Catfish" Morales. He’s no doctor, but he's had enough basic field medical training in his military days to at least be able to patch everyone up better than anyone else on the team. He’d prefer to be the Vehicle Expert but sadly, modes of transportation in the apocalypse are hard to come by.

Moral Support - Marcus Pike. Always looking at the bright side of the apocalypse. He likes to joke “when life hands you cordyceps, make mushroom tetrazzini”.

Scientist - Ezra. Not exactly Einstein, but he knows what berries and plants are safe and which to avoid during long treks through the wilderness. He’s proven himself useful more so than not. Mostly he keeps Dieter from accidentally un-aliving himself.

Risk taker - Max Phillips. Loud and outspoken, Max's mouth is always getting the group into trouble. Good luck to any infected that tries to turn him though, his ego is so big its like a thick candy shell around the vulnerable parts of his brain.

Stealthy - Oberyn Martell. Forget sniping infected from 100 yards away, this man simply sneaks up behind them and with some flourishing footwork they're on the ground with any sharp object he could get his hands on slicing through the flesh of their throat. He's also stealthy in the way he manages to slip into the others' sleeping bags without them evening realizing at the time that they want him to, but that's a headcanon for another post...

Dumbass - Dieter Bravo. It's not that he wants to die, it's just that he seems to occasionally forget that he can't just eat the fungus as if it came in a Ziplock bag that he use to pay 40 bucks a pop for.

Badass - Javier Peña. This man just continuously takes down infected as if they might actually come to an end. He knows that as quickly as he takes down one colony, four more spring up, but he's stubborn and refuses to stop trying, regardless of how tired he is of it all.

Mascot - Javi Gutierrez. He is babygirl. To be protected at all costs.

Distraction - Jack "Whiskey" Daniels. A real root-tootin, gun-blazin cowboy. Jack never needs to be asked twice to go put on a spectacle in the middle of an open field, gathering all the attention so the rest of the group can flank all sides under brush cover. He seems to have nine lives too, narrowly escaping death more times than any other. And he can handle his own. He argued for the spot of Weapons Expert but ultimately was swayed when he realized being the distraction actually meant being the center of attention.

Stereotype - Pero Tovar. One look at this man screams "if anyone was going to survive a zombie apocalypse, it's him"

Sacrifice - Dio. Look, it was his idea. The weird part was that nobody even asked him to.

First Dead - Eddie. It's just facts. In a long line of Pedro Boys deaths, someone had to be first.

Reply or reblog with your own headcanons, I'd love to hear them :)

[renegadeknight]

listen I know nothing about making bread or whiskey but I can throw shade at Neil all day (also hi! thank you for the mini baking lesson on the other thread ❤)

like @consultingzoologist mentioned, those first few years were probably chaos and a lot of people (me lol) might not even realize which foods might be a risk so... some natural trial and error there

but my dark inclination is to assume FEDRA did some sort of uh testing to determine what level of/which fungus was safe to consume

and to your horrifying question, I'd love to think no but I also often think about the potential for some people to see the outbreak as some sort of religious thing and well they have that whole eat the body drink the blood of christ thing so

Serious question do you think they still eat mushrooms in the TLOU world?

[m00nsbaby]

Pedro Pascal STOLE my GIRLFRIEND!

Marc Spector x F!Reader.

This is literally just a post from reddit that I saw and made me think of jealous Marc lol.

SPKTR:

It all started when we watched "Kingsman: The golden circle." I was interested for the plot and Colin Firth but she found Whiskey to be so much better than Harry Hart. Yes, the traitor cowboy was hotter to her than the badass Kingsman Agent Harry Hart. She said girls always found villains hotter than heroes, I was making a huge fuss over it. Okay, true but it's Colin Firth for God's sake! Days later, I catch her watching "Kingsman: The golden circle." again and says she really wasn't paying attention to the plot and wanted to understand it better. The "plot" to her was Pedro Pascal and his "seductive voice." I didn't get the big appeal when Firth was right there, but whatever, you do you. We usually watch movies when she comes over and she insists on picking the movie one day, I say "Fine, as long as is not Kingsman" thinking her obsession was only caused because of that movie. She puts on this action movie called "Triple frontier." Cool, I love action movies and then PEDRO PASCAL SHOWS UP. I'm sensing a pattern but I quietly observe her reactions when he's on screen. She's giggling, blushing, kicking her feet, the whole shebang whenever he appears and she absolutely loses it during that scene when he speaks spanish and she repeats over and over "I would have folded" NO SHAME. Like, hello? Your boyfriend is right HERE! It takes me a minute to notice she's REPEATING the scene and squealing like a school girl. Her whole face is red by this point and she's just rolling on the bed giggling excitedly, it doesn't end there, though. She starts watching Narcos JUST for Pedro Pascal. It's one thing to watch a movie for an actor but a 3 season show is downright INSANE. She soon forgets I exist and replaces the photo widgets she had of me with Pedro Pascal. That's when she crossed a line. Simping over Pascal I understand but he DOESN'T get to REPLACE ME on her phone like that. Then The Last of Us comes out and never hear the end of it. My girlfriend is a books/movies person and she's never had any interest in videogames but now that "her man", as she's been referring to him for the past week is starring in this NINE EPISODE series about a fungus pandemic, she just HAS to see it. She says it's a good way to catch up on the videogame but we all know the real reason. But fine, we see it and she's so excited the entire time. Seriously, I've never seen him so happy before. So now I'm an idiot who's indulged his girlfriend's obsession with Pedro Pascal for too long and now I'm second to him. But it doesn't end there because WHY WOULD IT END THERE why did nobody warn me about the amount of thirst traps in this series?? Her jaw drop seeing him get aggresive, the words are on the tip of her tongue, I can practically hear her say how much she wants him, so I lean over and whisper in the pettiest tone I could muster "Just fuck him." She gets embarrased and starts giggling nervously while hitting my arm softly saying "Babe, no! What? No" but by her tone it was SO OBVIOUS she was saying "I would if I could." Anyway, we all know Colin Firth is better so count your days Pedro Pascal.

sorry for tagging you in this lol

Mk's tag list :)@ninebluehearts @icreatedthisat317am @onefinnedwonder-fm @shousha133

I couldn't find the original post but here's where I saw it lol <3! https://www.tiktok.com/@requestedreads/video/7279590034729291054?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7179670435260827141

[hiddenpatricia]

The Bloomers.

Chapter 2. Fungal roots.

The bar’s atmosphere softened the edges of Rolane’s unease. Between the low hum of conversation and the warmth of the whiskey she cradled, the pressure of the day began to subside. Across the small table, Biara’s expressive eyes lingered on Rolane, her usual light-heartedness tempered with concern.

                “So, what are we drinking to?” Biara asked, raising her glass of red wine. Her smile was playful, but there was a tenderness in her tone.

Rolane tilted her head, a smirk tugging at her lips "Surviving another day of Emil’s lectures?”

Biara laughed softly, the sound curling into the air like smoke. “Cheers to that. But seriously, Ro, you’ve been carrying the weight of this project on your shoulders for years. It’s okay to let some of it go, even if it’s just for tonight.”

                Rolane’s grip on her glass tightened briefly before she forced herself to relax. “It’s not just the ending of the project, Biara. It’s everything. The anomalies, the way Emil brushed them off… It’s like we’re all sprinting towards a finish line without asking if it’s the right race to run.”

                Biara reached across the table, her fingers brushing against Rolane’s wrist. The touch was brief, but it lingered in the air between them. “And that’s why you’re here. To ask the questions no one else will.”

                Rolane’s eyes softened, meeting Biara’s gaze fully for the first time that evening. “You make it sound noble- I’m just… scared, honestly. Scared that we’ve gone too far that there’s no way to undo it.”

                BBiara’s hand remained near Rolane’s, her voice low and steady. “Fear isn’t a bad thing. It means you care, and if it helps, you’re not alone in this. Whatever happens, I’ve got your back,” she says, letting a moment stretch between them. “And probably so does Victor” followed by a chuckle, mentioning the janitor who usually spent some nights at the lab with the workers who stayed late.

                Rolane’s heart thudded, a subtle shift in rhythm she couldn’t ignore. She chuckled, followed by clearing her throat, breaking the moment of silence between their words. “Thanks, Biara. That means a lot.”

Biara leaned back, her teasing grin returning. “Don’t mention it. Just promise me you’ll take a break this weekend. No fungus, no Emil, no existential dread.”

                Rolane chuckled, the sound genuine. “I’ll try. No promises, though.”

                The following morning, the sunlight streaming through Rolane’s apartment window did little to shake the restless thoughts that had trailed her home. She sat on the edge of her bed, scrolling through the latest reports form the Arbor Bloom Initiative. Biara’s voice from the previous night echoed in her mind: “I’ve got your back.”

                Her door buzzed, pulling her from her thoughts. She opened it to find Biara standing there, coffee in one hand and a paper bag in the other. “Morning. Figured you could use reinforcements,” Biara said, breezing past her into the apartment.

                Rolane blinked slowly, caught off guard but not unwelcome. “You brought me coffee? What’s the catch?”

Biara set the bag down on the small kitchen table, pulling out two croissants, filled with fresh jam, filling Rolane’s apartment with the warm smell of fresh pastries.

“No catch. Just trying to save you from the horrors of skipping breakfast. Besides, we need to talk strategy.”

“Strategy?” Rolane asked, taking the coffee gratefully.”

“You’re not going to let this anomaly thing go.” Biara said, sitting across from her.

“And if you’re digging, I’m digging with you. But we need a plane that won’t get us both fired”

Rolane’s chest tightened, a mixture of gratitude and guilt. “Biara, you don’t have to get involved. This isn’t your fight.”

“Correction,” Biara said, her tone firm but warm. “You’re my friend. If you’re worried, I’m worried. End of discussion.”

A small smile played on Rolane’s lips. “You’re stubborn, you know that?”

Biara smirked. “Comes with the territory. Now, let’s figure out our next move.”

The rest of the day passed in a comfortable rhythm, with the two women alternating between strategizing and simply talking. They spent hours sprawled on Rolane’s couch; their laptops open but often forgotten as the conversation drifted to lighter topics. Biara teased Rolane about her relentless work ethic, while Rolane learned about Biara’s brief time as a musician before diving into science.

“Wait,” Rolane said, laughing “you played bass in a punk band? I need to see photographic evidence of this.”

Biara groaned, covering her face with a pillow. “Absolutely not. Those photos are classified.”

“Come on, Biara. You can’t drop a bombshell like that and expect me to let if go,” Rolane pressed, her smile wide and genuine.

                Biara peeked out form behind the pillow, her eyes twinkling with mischief. “Fine. But only if you tell me something embarrassing about yourself first.”

Rolane hesitated, her cheeks flushing slightly. “Okay, but you can’t laugh”

“No promises,” Biara said, grinning.

Taking a deep breath, Rolane admitted, “I tried to grow a mushroom farm in my dorm room during my undergrad. It… didn’t end well.”

Biara burst out laughing, the sound warm and infectious. “What happened?”

“Let’s just say the smell was so bad that campus housing threatened to evict me,” Rolane said, laughing along with her.

                By the time the sun dipped below the horizon, casting warm golden light across the room, the weight of the anomalies and Emil’s authority felt distant. Rolane couldn’t remember the last time she had spent a day like this, free of deadlines and fear, simply enjoying someone’s company.

                Biara stretched, her arm brushing against Rolane’s as they both reached for the last croissant at the same time. Their fingers touched, and for a moment, neither of them moved.

“You take it,” Biara said softly, her voice tinged with something unspoked.

“No, you bought them,” Rolane replied, her heart thudding in her chest.

Biara smiled, breaking the tension with a laugh. “How about we split it? Seems fair.”

                Rolane nodded, her cheeks warm as Biara broke the croissant in half and handed her a piece. They ate in silence, the moment quiet.

As the evening wore on, Biara eventually stood, her movements reluctant. “I should probably head home before my dog thinks I’ve gone missing.”

Rolane followed her to the door, hesitating as Biara turned to face her. “Thanks for today,” Rolane said, her voice softer than she intended. “I didn’t realize how much I needed it.”

                Biara’s smile was gentle, her gaze lingering. “Anytime, Ro. You’re not as alone as you think.”

And with that, she was gone, leaving Rolane standing in the doorway, the quiet of her apartment suddenly feeling much heavier, and still smelling like jam filled croissants.

[bourbontrend]

Discover the hidden tensions shaking the foundations of Kentucky! 🥃 The bourbon industry faces off against local communities in a saga filled with legal wrangles, tax turmoil, and the mysterious whiskey fungus. Dive into the full story of how heritage clashes with modernity in the heart of Bourbon Country. Don't miss this eye-opening read! #BourbonIndustryBattle

[friendlyheartless]

"You will..." Negro Toadstool asked with teary eyes. "Thank you!" He said hugging him.

"Hey there. Are you a heartless?" The nobody reached out to pet the heartless.

(Marxiia @ any heartless)

"Yes. Yes, I am. I am Negro Toadstool, a Black Fungus and one of the Heartless Rebels who um... rebelled against Xehanort's Heartless, and Maleficent long ago." The Black Fungus spoke as he squeaked getting pet.

@x-whiskeylullaby-x

[subsequentibis]

2, 7, 9 and 10 for laz, sal and john?

wooo let's put this one under a cut!

2. Why does your oc look the way they do? What are your reasons for their appearance?

sal is pretty heavily inspired by most of the tall gangly awkward sweaty weirdo scientist/researcher characters i recall fondly from a lot of media i liked growing up, plus hair that's fun to draw and that mimics the fungus's tendril shapes. she started out looking fairly different as my vtm character, but then i fell a little in love with dev patel (and this was also when i was still drawing her as a man) so she ended up closer to his look in david copperfield. purple is a color that doesn't exist much in nature, or so i've heard, so it can have a mystical/spooky/unnatural feeling to it, especially i think a kind of paler ghostly purple, which is why i chose it for her sweater. similarly i gave her grey eyes because i feel like they give off a slightly unusual or unnatural vibe while also being very beautiful. she gets a turtleneck because i gave her my fear of/discomfort with having my neck touched to an extreme degree, she doesn't even like feeling the wind on it. the rest of her clothes are brown/dark tones to give her an earthy and grounded feel. i'm not very good at thinking of outfits so i made her like a cartoon character that only has one set of clothing but just gave her sensory issues so she has a whole wardrobe of nearly identical sweaters, pants, and jackets for comfort. originally i was going to have the fungus able to chameleon-esque shift color so it would be mimicking her hand and eye almost exactly except for almost imperceptible lines where the tendrils meet, but i ended up not liking that idea so much and gave her gloves & a glass eye to hide the bits that she loses over the course of the story. she's long and spindly because i tend to think of her hunched up and curling in on herself, like she's always felt just a little bit too big and is trying to compensate for it, and also because that's very fun to draw.

lazarus is pretty heavily inspired by john constantine, sam vimes, columbo, hellboy, any cigar/cigarette-chomping long coat-wearing detective or investigator with a dry sense of humor. he's gone through a couple versions actually, he was my character in several different ttrpgs until i settled on him as a detective npc for an urban shadows campaign i ran and that really nailed down a lot for him looks and attitude-wise. grey raincoat to help him blend in a little more with the city, i like to think he could lean against a concrete wall and almost disappear. big stompy boots or heeled shoes because he's short as hell and wants to look taller. red as an accent color for blood/fire/etc. actually i debated red eyes as well for a bit and finally settled on orange because, of all things, pilferingapples drew bahorel with these really lovely orangey whiskey colored eyes and that always struck me as gorgeous. i just cranked up the orange to make them obviously not natural and as a connection to lava. he's a bit of wish fulfillment for me as a trans man - short but with a broader build, fairly strong shoulders and hips but a bit of stomach to fill out between so he's not really hourglass-y at all. hairy all over, big obvious top surgery scars that will get an update to probably look like flames or claw marks soon, and covered in interesting scars. i always wanted to come up with a story behind all of them but i only ever figured out ones for two, one on his knee and the brand on his chest that ties him to his demonic patron. he had a shitty tiny ponytail for a long time because i love getting my hair just long enough to have a tiny shitty ponytail, but his hair started getting longer over time and now i like him with long hair. cringefail facial hair. he cannot grow a mustache to save his life but that's not gonna stop him.

ok so john. john was originally a hotel podcast oc, as in like i had this idea that the owner might have once been a human guy and got yoinked and twisted to fit the hotel's needs. so john was just my design for the owner but a little more saturated, like he goes semi-greyscale when he gets got. i ditched the turquoise bolo tie when i decided i wanted him in underbelly and i'm trying to fill his wardrobe out a little more with clothes that a divorced dad trying to find his feet again after a painful break up might pick for 'fun'. where laz was my wish fulfillment as a trans man back in college, when i was barely beginning to believe i could possibly be genderweird, john is my wish fulfillment as a trans man now. tall, beefy, hairy, big shaggy sideburns. he's got less thought put into him than the others because he's not been around as long, give him a few years to mature in the soup and i'm sure he'll develop.

7. Does your oc have any notable skills or good personality traits? Why did you give them those traits? Why do they exist in-universe?

see prev answer for sal!

lazarus is somewhat similar to sal in that he's quick to pick up on tiny details, but i would call him more street smart than book smart. i wanted the two of them to have a bit of a battle of the minds going on, not quite like death note levels but more like your average columbo episode. laz is in total control of himself at pretty much all times, as well - he is driven primarily by anger, but he's had enough time to figure out how to use anger instead of being used by it. sometimes he loses control but it's rare. he has a good relationship with a lot of people in the underbelly, he makes a point to help out where he can and engages in a lot of favor-swapping. i really want him to be a pillar of the community sort of guy, someone really intensely invested in the space they've helped to build because he's been aimless and wandering in the past and it's no way to live. he's a bit world weary and can come across as cynical, but deep down even if he doesn't believe in the inherent goodness of man, he thinks man can be dragged kicking and screaming towards some kind of goodness.

john is a good natured and good hearted kind of guy, despite his flaws he has a fairly strong sense of right and wrong and he's really fiercely loyal and protective of his loved ones. frankly see that one post that's like 'character that's submissive in the way a guard dog is submissive'. he's lost people and relationships in the past for various reasons so when he finds something that sticks he's desperate to keep them close and safe and intact.

9. In a group dynamic, what kind of role does the oc usually fill? Are they a worry wart? A troublemaker? The straight man?

sal is the worrier for sure and the one who goes home early because she's not having fun. laz is the one you think is the straight man until a third act subversion and then he's either covered in other people's blood or has challenged the biggest guy in the bar to a drinking contest that he will win and then make out with said guy. john is the designated driver.

10. What is your favorite trait regarding your oc?

i love sal's cowardice. it's really meaningful and special to me how little she wants to do with anything happening to her and how she figures out how to deal with it anyway and succeed while never really getting over how much she wants to just go home and get in bed.

my favorite lazarus trait is his anger, because i love a character who lets their rage bubble and boil under the surface while appearing completely calm until they just explode, but like a controlled demolition.

i love john's ability to adapt. when he ends up in the underbelly it's not long at all before he's got a stable job & a place to live & people who call him friend because he just goes with the flow and makes it work. yeah he's got goat eyes and horns and he sleeps on a pile of hay now bc he's too big for his bed most nights but hey, could be worse!

[caffeinated-binturong]

Behind the Fic: 37

Because so much writing isn’t something the reader is privy to and I like behind the scenes stuff, I’ll elaborate on some things and mention some cuts. It also gives me an excuse to talk about it more.

The vastaya is a Kiilash, so think Rengar. Just not as fit and doesn't have something to prove. Maybe when he was younger but that was ages ago—Zaun and slinging food is his retirement.

I considered using a header image that included a neon sign from Season 1 but it was a fish and I didn’t want people to think Jericho.

I pictured the creep as a mix of Heenot and the guy Vi punched when he tried dancing with her in Season 2.

Both the walking and verbal cue did indeed indicate that the hunt had started and who the target was.

Lions and wolves pack hunting always came to mind, as did how prey animals hide their pain/injury to seem like a harder fight than they actually were. Also how something like wild dogs aren’t much of a threat if they’re alone (at least to anything their size or bigger that can fight back) but a pack of them is amazingly successful in taking down prey.

Originally used “jackal” a lot more but it got repetitive. It also seemed unfair to actual jackals.

There was a woman dressed to the nines with a blade behind her shawl in one version.

Sevika took longer in the bedroom than needed to give Reader time alone and to deal with her own feelings and decide what to do. Mostly the latter.

The pillow was from her own bed ‘cause she didn’t have a spare one in a closet.

No she didn’t invite Reader to her bed—Reader slept on the couch.

The guys tailing Reader were found dead a couple days later.

I considered adding some verticality to the alley segment but by then I had already written, rewritten, and edited it so many times I didn’t want to make more work for myself.

The reason Reader was having such a bad day was that their boss had been an utter ass, customers weren’t any better, and Reader had been on their feet since morning. About 16 hours, give or take.

Which was what their previous shifts all week were like, too.

Cut a part where Reader considered hiding out in a bar to get away. Ultimately it messed with the flow and didn’t add anything.

The noodles are made with fungus instead of wheat. Texture is about the same but is nuttier and tastes slightly off if eaten plain so covering it up with spices is normal.

The fungus is able to be grown in the area while wheat has to be imported and the prices reflect this.

I randomly picked the number 37 and was chuffed to see it’s a “sexy prime”.

I pictured the time as 11PM-12AM, when nearly everything is closed, there's minimal foot traffic, and bar patrons haven’t turned to drunken fights (yet) (mostly).

Reader pretty much passes out after eating.

There’s more writing about Reader’s actions and thought process than there really was (Reader was in slightly-more-alert zombie-mode) to make it easier for a reader to follow. Much was instinct, not thinking.

Sevika does get her whiskey and has a smoke afterwards because WTF.

She’s also glad Reader fell asleep nigh instantly so she didn’t have to deal with small talk.

I did a quick and very rough floor plan sketch of the apartment. Nothing’s to scale and some things (namely the bathroom) are missing but it’s enough to keep track of where things are.

Sevika thought it might all be an elaborate ploy to get at her or Silco (and yes she was prepared to toss Reader out).

She still doesn’t know why she stepped in for Reader when she’d seen similar happen so many times before and chocks it up to still being in work-mode and a momentary lapse of judgement. Swears it won't happen again.

It might have been less about Reader and more about an “off the records” way of messing with the guy. Results were very close on who she disliked more and if she gave enough fucks to do anything.

She thinks of Reader like you would a stray animal—help them out, maybe give them a place to stay overnight, then hand them off the next day. She largely forgets about the whole thing.

I tentatively know where I’d go with this if I were to continue it but not sure I will.

Working file name was “Send Noods” because I’m mature and didn’t know what I’d title it until the 11th hour.

There was something like 7 drafts because I got carried away with editing.

Seriously, so much editing even though the spelling and punctuation were fine. I might have been using it as an excuse to procrastinate.

It caused me to learn much of my HTML knowledge is out of date. Not directly related but did delay it a bit. (I do not like HTML5)

No idea how often I'll do these but it makes me feel better about cutting stuff.

[rosiewalks]

2024 Dolly Year in Review

Things I did in dolly land this year: - Joined Memoa and some doll discords - Tried out shortform video (I don't really like making it) - Photographed every doll in my collection - Tried out a new printing service in Vistaprint; I'm very pleased with their note cards and post cards - Designed and mailed "dolliday" cards - Did piercings for both MH and RH - Commissioned hair dyes for Saffron, Gilly, Ophelia, and jr Jade - Did some small repainting: added freckles, redid lips, detailed shoes - Worked on storage organization and optimization - Finished Lagoona's bacta tank - Participated in Funguary & Mermay - Matched dolls to books I read

Dolls Acquired: 21 1-4 from Target: SH Berrie; Tweens Haribo & Cora; CR Cleo 5-10 from Ebay: GOML Leyla, Spring Pearl, & Minouk; OMG Ace; G3 Venus & Monster Fest Frankie 11-13 from IG/Discord: Jr Poppy; Creepro Ghoulia; Tweens Jenny 14-15 from Marketplace/Thrift: Mermaze Morra; Bratz Jade 16-21 were gifts: Wednesday; SH Nicole; MH Skelita; RH Sunny & Luna; Doll Leaves Ida March February of this year, I resolved to buy dolls only from the secondary market, to reduce impulse spending as well as cut down on the amount of waste and bad labor practices I was supporting by buying new. Very proud that I stuck to that -- the only doll I bought new from a store after March was Core Refresh Cleo.

Dolls sold/gifted I don't keep as good of track of this but I will in 2025!

Collection stats See collection page

There will be a companion post in the new year, talking about my goals & plans in dolly land for 2025

Top 3 favorite dolls

[cut for length; picture-heavy after cut]

🦇Lala 🦇

My little chronic illness buddy

🌼Ophelia🌼

Now that Mia dyed her hair, I like her so much.

🌿Venus🌿

I love it that she can sit in my cup holder, without flying out when I go around a curve.

Top 13 favorite photos, in no particular order 13 in honor of Monster High

Lala in her chair and by the pool, above

Kaylee for Dolliday Card 2024

Genevieve with my stepmother's mums

Wednesday in the graveyard, early morning

Also Wednesday

Poppy Jr. , custom dye by Mia with freckles and lip repaint by me

Whiskey at Longwood Gardens, my favorite place in the world

From my Mermay story

Sweet zombie Kaylee with the azaleas

Poor little fairy Twyla being parasitized by icing sugar fungus

Make sure to keep your vampire gf well hydrated, or she'll come for your jugular.

Frankie says it's time to go. Lala says it's time to snack.

Top 5 dolls as books Note this is not my top 5 favorite books from the year, just the ones where I really liked the doll styled as the cover.

Look I just really like photographing Lala, okay? May your holiday dolliday season be full of light and joy, and may the new year bring you serenity and rest.

[ear-worthy]

WhiskyCast: A Podcast That Goes Down Smooth

"You don't know what you don't know." That phrase has gained in popularity after uttered by then U.S. Secretary Of Defense Donald Rumsfeld during the W. Bush Administration. 

It also pertains to me due to a recent situation. I was on a cruise and my package included a free tasting of the best bourbon whiskeys at the lounge. Now, I know nothing about whiskey at all. Any light beer or a Pinot Noir red wine is my entire regiment of drinking alcohol. 

The invitation said 7:00 PM. My partner Linda advised that we go right at seven, since "hardly anyone would show up to such an event."

Because of my fastidiousness about being early or on time, I talked her into arriving at 6:50.  The lounge was packed. Clearly, we had underestimated the interest with bourbon whiskey. When the bartender, a Serbian man named Goran, talked about the history of whiskey and bourbon specifically, I, along with everyone else, was fascinated.

When I returned from the cruise, I wondered if there was a podcast about whiskey, which is a dumb question, because there is a podcast for almost every activity or interest. 

 That's when I discovered the WhiskyCast podcast.

 To my delight and surprise, WhiskeyCast is one of the oldest podcasts in the industry. It's a podcast that began in 2005 and is still delighting its listeners today. WhiskeyCast has released over 1,000 episodes!

The podcast's subtitle is Cask Strength Conversation since 2005. Now, I don't even know what that means, but after listening to several episodes of WhiskyCast, I want to know more.

Let's define what whiskey is.

 Whisky or whiskey is a type of distilled alcoholic beverage made from fermented grain mash. Various grains are used for different varieties, including barley, corn, rye, and wheat. Whiskey is typically aged in wooden casks, which are typically made of charred white oak.

People are passionate about whiskey. They're like wine drinkers, only less obnoxious. 

Here's what retired psychologist and whiskey drinker Gary Beaufait says:"I'm into bourbon because it's a type of whiskey that's an American invention with certain criteria needed to be met to be an official, legitimate Bourbon."

Beaufait continues: "The process produces a smooth, palatable, and drinkable liquor of varying proofs - ranging from 80 upwards to 120+, but typically 90s. For me, the proofs in the high 80s and 90s are just right if the product is blended nicely. The different types and brands can be rather nuanced, so people have preferences. The most sought after are very hard to find, and a secondary market exists w rather high dollar amount-hundreds to thousands for a prized bottle."

Listening to WhiskyCast is like hearing a well-oiled machine hum along with seamless efficiency. Each week, veteran journalist Mark Gillespie brings listeners the latest whiskey news, in-depth interviews, tasting notes, and much more. Each podcast features brand-new content, and unless there’s a special occasion, and they do “best of” shows.

Gillespie is a terrific host. His voice is as smooth as some of the whiskeys they taste, and his delivery is effortless and pure. Gillespie is the winner of the International Wine & Spirits Competition’s 2023 Spirits Communicator Trophy, which seems to be quite an honor in the field. From the episodes I've listened to, the host deserves such an accolade. In his 18th year as host, Gillespie sounds as if he has the verve of his first episode. The podcast has a standard and successful formula. Each episode begins with whiskey news, and I underestimated how much such news there is. For example, the news covered the dominance of Jameson in the global and U.S. markets. Reportedly, Jameson accounts for 70 percent of U.S. whiskey sales and 40 percent of whiskey sales around the world. 

In another episode, the news included a story about Jack Daniel’s being ordered to stop work on one of its new barrel houses after a neighbor sued over whiskey fungus problems, while Kentucky distillers are hoping a bill pending in the state legislature could mean the end of the “barrel tax.” 

After the news, there is a main story like the one called "Choosing passion" on the March 5th episode. The episode details how Melissa Rift’s career path is anything but traditional for a whiskey maker. She started out as a family therapist before discovering her passion for Bourbon, and it’s led her to become the new master taster for Old Forester.  

On the December 4th episode, during the What You're Tasting segment of the show, host Mark Gillespie reviewed a Waterford, a peated Irish single malt, which is apparently a relative rarity, that had notes of peat smoke, heather, honey and a nice maltiness.

In the news segment of the show, Gillespie reported that American whiskey is still subject to tariffs into EU nations because of tariffs imposed by the Trump Administration.

 The main segment of the show dealt with luxury single-malt whiskeys as an alternative investment. In the interview with Duncan McFadzean, listeners learn that whiskey sales have increased by 11 percent in the last year, yet the investment value of luxury whiskey has dropped by seven percent, largely due to what McFadzean calls "flipping," which is the practice of buying whiskey and selling it for a profit on the secondary markets.

Other segments include a report on upcoming whiskey events. In the December 4th episode, listeners hear about whiskey tasting in Vermont and in London.

On the February 27th episode, the main story was about whiskey clubs. Unbeknownst to the whiskey obtuse such as myself, there are literally hundreds of whiskey clubs around the world, with more being formed all the time. On the episode, listeners hear from some club founders on how they started their clubs, along with advice for those thinking about forming a whiskey club. 

In that same episode, WhiskyCast announced the launch of the new WhiskyCast Community mobile app, which is a smart monetization, brand loyalty, and brand extension move.

If you are a whiskey drinker and haven't heard of this podcast, I highly suggest listening to at least one episode. There, you'll find like-minded people who enjoy the social aspects of whiskey, its unique color and taste, and the artistic skill needed to make whiskey.

Check out WhiskyCast. I'll end by toasting you, dear listeners, with a glass of Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey.

Raise your glass and listen to this podcast.  

(NOTE: Photo by Terrick Noahs)