#wine tasting for beginners

[wineglasses-1]

How Should You Pair Snacks During Wine Tasting?

The right pairing of snacks with wine will really make the tasting experience great. Choose plain crackers or bread to clean your palate between sips. This is a neutral snack so that the flavors of the wine will be at focus. Cheeses and fruits can also complement specific wines if you want to experiment.

Avoid very spicy or salty snacks because they might overpower the wine. The goal is to let the wine shine. Snack pairing thoughtfully allows you to enjoy each sip without distraction. It's a simple way to elevate your wine-tasting session and discover which combinations work best for your taste. To know more visit us!

[winemastery]

Camino del Angel Cabernet Sauvignon - worth buying? (Episode 412)

[kansasjustgotgayer]

I wish i could have fancy cheese blocks…..

[thrashkink-coven]

Super easy and cheap devotional acts for beginners.

A nice cup and some clean, fresh, water on the altar can often be all you need for daily offerings

Grow a plant on your altar, use your weekly watering as a devotional act. Hermes is currently helping my peace lily grow :)

Draw their sigil on your nails and then paint over them with nail polish that matches their color correspondences.

If you can’t acquire alcohol for your deities (wine, vodka etc) because you’re too young, white vinegar also works. The quality we’re looking for is the purification aspect. White vinegar is natural, antibacterial and never goes bad. You can leave it on your altar until it evaporates if you want.

If you work with a deity involved with self love like Aphrodite, investing a little more time into your skin care and scent can be very rewarding. Nothing super boujie, it can be as simple as getting some nice smelling lotion at the dollar store.

Food and water offerings don’t have to be external, especially if you’re in the broom closet and don’t have an altar. Reserve the first bite of your meal for your deity. Savour its taste while you think about them. Pour yourself a crisp glass of cold water and guzzle it as a devotional act.

Use a washable or dry erase marker to draw sigils on your shower wall for bath rituals. It’ll come right off when you’re done.

Tea bags are just bags of dried herbs. You can use these as offerings or draw sigils on them and burn them for witchcraft. No one is ever suspicious about a little tea. Adding a tea bag to your water offerings also gives them an extra kick.

A couple dollars at the thrift store will take you a long way. I love thrifting items because they’re usually well loved. I especially like thrifting spirituality books that past practitioners have written in. Sometimes my deities communicate with me through the books that are available on any given day. If I was just talking to Leviathan about the power of water and I see a book about Hydromancy, I know that he’s sending me a sign. Like, 90% of the books Lucifer has sent me popped up at the thrift store. Most expensive one was $7.99. (and I tag swapped it for 2.99 😊 thanks, Hermes-

and on this note, literally steal. Not from small local thrift stores, but I mean this with my whole chest, steal from Value Village. If you can sneakily swap a tag and get something for cheaper literally do it. Value Village gets all their inventory for free I literally do not care. Corporate thrift stores don’t deserve rights. I steal from Value Village as a devotional act to Hermes 😊 lmao )

If you don’t have money to spend on really nice paintings and posters of your deities for your altar, start buying books about them. It’s a double win. A book about Greek religion will certainly have multiple beautiful sculptures and paintings of Aphrodite that I can cut out and put on my wall. A book about angels might have a cool painting of Lucifer. Books about Goddesses, ancient religions, anthropology, astrology etc. You get the opportunity to learn, and if it’s a book you don’t particularly care too much for, you can take it apart for imagery. People ask me all the time where I got all of my paintings and pictures from. BOOKS.

Does your deity have a kind of complicated sigil that you love but you also kinda hate redrawing every other day? Sorry Cerberus (Naberius) I love you but that sigil is so complicated babe.

Learn how to block print! It’s very simple. You get a block of linoleum (usually pretty cheap, I think mine were like $5) , some ink (~$10), and a carving tool (varies depending), and make a sigil stamp! All you gotta do is draw your sigil and carve it out nicely one time. You can still bless it and imbue it with your energy, and you can easily put it on prayers, talismans etc.

Chalk is your best friend. Use it to draw sigils on the floor or wall that can easily be wiped away. You can imbue special chalk and use it for casting circles if you don’t like the mess of salt.

[carlos-in-glasses]

I've finished knitting my second jumper! It's the Step-by-Step Sweater by Florence Miller - and is perfect for beginners like me. There's also a YouTube tutorial that runs through the whole process. I absolutely loved working on this and am so pleased with the result. I learned how to knit a jumper in the round, do raglan increases and German short row shaping, which wasn't anywhere near as complex as I thought it would be. The yarn is Sirdar's jewelspun. (Although in the video I helpfully pronounce it as Sidar, which is in fact the name of a restaurant I won a voucher for during a raffle at a wine tasting like a HUGE YUPPIE. But I'm exhausted and making all sorts of weird litttle mistakes.)

Anyway! I can't believe this is a thing that exists! Definitely my favourite thing made so far. I think the next thing I knit will be some knee warmers for my mum, which she has requested in dark green! But I'm excited to knit more jumpers that maybe include some new stitches to learn.

[onyourhyuck]

Light Weight. | L.DH

— Prologue: “You know, you don’t have to drink with me if you can’t handle it.”

— Summary: One difference between you and your boyfriend Lee Donghyuck. You’re a lightweight, and he’s a wine-lover.

— Genre: Fluffy, romance, slightly suggestive overall nothing too smutty. established relationship. boyfriend!donghyuck. fem reader. mention of wine, mention of having dinner late at night.

— Notes:

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Your boyfriend works late hours which often results in him having late dinner, but you love having dinner with your boyfriend so whenever you can’t you’d wait for him and have dinner when he gets home.

He told you many times to not do that but you really enjoy having dinner with a bit of company, I mean who doesn’t right?

Donghyuck sat there in front of the tv with his plate of food and you next to him eating your plate. You’re starving honestly but you wanted to wait for him and there wasn’t a single regret to your decision.

He made you feel safe and well honestly you love eating and having conversations with him. Donghyuck has loads of stories to tell you, he’s always been a social butterfly.

You’re the listener in your relationship but ironically you don’t like to take his advice sometimes. You like to do your own thing and learn from it.

“Eat up Y/n. You really don’t need to wait for me just to eat.” He says with a slight tormenting nagging but he lessens it down. He doesn’t have the energy to scold you much today.

You roll your eyes a little as you took a bite of your food. You told him not to make it seem like he’s the reason, well, technically he is a little bit of the reason. But you would do this with anyone too.

At the end of the day it’s your decision when you eat.

“You too, eat up. Why haven’t you touched your food yet?” You’d ask raising your head until your boyfriend smiles sheepishly taking out a bottle.

Your eyebrows furrow as you saw the label ‘wine’ on it and Donghyuck would open it with twisting the wrist to get the wine bottle off the top. Once it did get off your boyfriend pours himself a glass. It was red wine and that’s necessarily his favourite one, him and Johnny would always go to these wine tasting events and he shares a big love for alcohol overall.

But he doesn’t drink excessively everyday. He usually drinks on special occasions or hanging out occasions.

Sometimes it surprises you how much he actually loves wine. He’s very passionate about it.

You’re not the best drinker, you’ll be honest. You don’t even know the difference between alcoholic beverages so that alone makes you a blank canvas. But that’s why you have Lee Donghyuck to help you out. He once said Wine isn’t the best beginner friendly drink.

“Wine?” You retort seeing your boyfriend take a large sip from the wine glass. Donghyuck smiles. “Mhhm. I got it as a gift thought I’d try it out with dinner.”

He continues as he took a bite of his food. He was multitasking between the plate and the wine glass. You smile seeing him happy every time he takes a bite of his food and then right after drinking the wine, he looked happy, as if he was relaxing now.

You softly stroke his back lovingly smiling and he smiles back at you. You’re eating in peace together and he lets your hands roam his body as you eat with your free hand.

“You know — if you didn’t work the job you do currently. I’d assume you’d make a good wine taster.” Your words left Donghyuck smiling ear to ear at your sudden playfulness.

He chuckles. “I reckon I’d give them the run for their money honestly. This wine I’ve got here helps with insomnia too.” He points turning the wine around checking the ingredients on the back.

You couldn’t help but become curious so you bring your empty glass next to him suddenly and Donghyuck looks at you.

“Pour me some of the wine, I’d like to taste it.” You wonder if he likes it so much you might like it too. Donghyuck hums pouring you a little wine because he knew you can’t handle the same amount as he can, he cares for your well-being.

At least a little more careful about your well-being than yourself. You bring the glass forward with the red liquid swirling it and you smell it from above, instantly you felt a gush of aroma strike your nose.

Donghyuck quietly laughs at your reaction. “Don’t smell it and drink it instead. It tastes better than it smells.”

You warily take a large sip which you didn’t plan evenly and swallowed the wine. Your boyfriend’s watchful eyes were observing you and he somehow knew from the way your eyebrows raise up and scrunch down later that you disliked it.

But somehow you couldn’t stop but finish it the entire drink, even though you hated it. You don’t like to waste anything so you might as well finish the rest he gave you.

“Ugh…” you let out as you put the glass down. You chugged your wine.

Donghyuck let’s out surprised as he turns around to see your glass empty. You were quick enough to take a bite of your food to dim down your stomach that’s burning up.

“Hey, Y/n did you just chug down your wine?” He breathlessly asked you and you stare at him nodding confused. “Yeah, were you not meant to do that?”

Your boyfriend tilts his head sighing. “No… but— no matter. Eat more it will help balance the drink you just had.” He suggests as he takes a sip of his own wine, he should’ve watched you more when you’re drinking sometimes you don’t know the limit you can take and just go past it.

You smile becoming awfully happy. Somehow that wine cheers you up. Any alcohol actually.

“Can I have more actually? It tastes pretty nice.”

Donghyuck looks over grabbing the bottle. “Yeah? I’d take that as a compliment but be careful with this okay?” He’d pour you a little more in your glass. “And don’t chug — it. It’s meant to be sipped.”

You nod taking a note of your boyfriend’s words. You taste a sip of the wine and you cheese out your smile. It really did taste good.

The more you taste it anyways, the first sip was probably the one you had to get used to so you could like the rest of it.

“You know, you don’t have to drink with me if you can’t handle it.”

He saw how later on you’ve started becoming slightly less aware of your consciousness and you were becoming a little more touch on the end with the more drinks you’ve been having. But thankfully you haven’t blacked out. Once you went out to drink with Donghyuck and your friend group including Mark and Jungwoo — you and Jungwoo were blacking out. You were on the worse end of the stick though. Unlike Jungwoo, you can’t even handle a single shot of soju with the boys.

You turn around going closer and suddenly pecking your boyfriend’s lips softly enough to stun the man in front of you as he was facing you. “I want to. I want to do things with you, plus, I’m at home with you. It’s okay for me to drink with my boyfriend.” You smile.

He strokes your hair from behind closing the space between you and sighing as you got him there with your words. It’s not going to be the end of the world if you drink a little more than your limit at home. “You’re awfully touchy when you’re drunk.” He retorts and you pout.

“I’m not drunk.”

Donghyuck raised an eyebrow. “Baby you chugged a whole glass of wine that’s meant to be sipped. You’re definitely drunk.”

You turn around. “Nahuh. Look I’m okay see.” You point to yourself and he looks you up and down tilting his head.

“Okay… then let’s see how long you keep your hands to yourself. If you’re not drunk it’s going to be easy.” You somehow felt yourself loosening from his hold and for a while you both ate and spoke but the urge to put your hand on Donghyuck’s lap or put your head on his shoulders, or even to kiss your boyfriend’s lips.

It was getting stronger with the amount of wine you drink and somehow you break down eventually sneakily putting your hand on his lap looking away with a flush to your cheeks.

Okay maybe you’re a little tipsy. But you’re definitely not full on drunk. Only a little tipsy.

Donghyuck smirks as he saw you finally touch him and looking at the time on his phone. He sighs condescending eyeing you. “Took you about twenty minutes until you’ve touched me.” You trail murmuring. “Don’t tease me about it, can’t I have my boyfriend’s affection?”

His eyes glued on you he pat on his lap motioning you to come over. If you really want his affection you could’ve said so without arguing with him and you without a hesitation move on his lap resting there, planting a kiss on his forehead, then his cheek and then his lips.

He lays back with you on top resting there, returning your soft kiss back before seeing the redness on your face from the wine you been drinking.

You really glow differently when you drink, somehow makes you look more alive too. But a lot more touchy and bold.

You close your eyes and your face rests on his shoulders humming softly. Donghyuck couldn’t help but think you’re ready to fall asleep and black out on him right there and then.

And you did, you really went to sleep.

But your boyfriend didn’t complain he was just admiring your peaceful face when he slept, sighing at you. He knew you’d do this.

“You’re such a light weight, Y/n.”

[spacefruitpress]

We definitely have some selections for you!

Check out our back catalogue @ spacefruitpress.com

i need more gay love stories y’all. just read if we were villains and am absolutely living for that. any recommendations? gay fiction, gay fantasy, gay dark academia .. (this includes lesbian, bisexual, etc ..) pls <3

[planet4546b]

all mirages cast real shadows.

kentucky route zero, 2013-2020/georgia o'keeffe, twilight canyon, lake powell, utah, 1964, todd webb/the archive of alternate endings, lindsey drager/house of leaves, mark z. danielewski/sunset, matthew cusick/letters from the hole, everything everything/the museum at purgatory, nick bantock/kentucky route zero, 2013-2020/andrei tarkovsky on the set of the sacrifice, unknown/heart: the city beneath, grant howitt and christopher taylor/the forgetting room, nick bantock/urge to mean (anything) ii, leo wijnhoven/in the dream house, carmen maria machado/kentucky route zero, 2013-2020/the beginner's guide, 2015/underdark: plein air paintings from caves, tomas honz/colossal cave adventure, willie crowther and don woods/season: a letter to the future, 2023/software greatman, everything everything/invisible cities, italo calvino/annihilation, jeff van der meer/the beginners guide, 2015/where the water tastes like wine, 2018/the unfortunates, b.s. johnson/house of leaves, mark z. danielewski/the painting that includes all paintings, richard siken/waiting for godot, samuel beckett

[lucaanis]

what if i made a silly little dao-style gift guide/list for lleyth like they were an actual da companion haha. just kidding. unless... 😳

💛 LOVES gifts (Lleyth approves +10)

"Oh wow, this is... for me? Really? Oh! I... I don't even know what to say. It's lovely. I love it. Thank you."

9:44 Rialto Bay Reserve A luxury Antivan mulled wine, highly desired for it's silky texture and unusually high alcohol content. Finely aged with hints of orange peel & cloves.

Raven Feather Hairpin A handcrafted silverite hairpin fashioned in the shape of a feather.

Sea Dragon Emerald Tea A velvet pouch of dried assorted herbs and spices, this Rivaini loose-leaf tea blend is popular for it's unique aromatic taste and stress-relieving qualities. Often sold at market stalls in Llomerryn.

Artisan Journal Set An expertly crafted journal made from aged Antivan leather. Adorned with an intricate embroidered pattern and a gemstone latch. Comes with an engraved crow-feather fountain pen & purple satin bookmark.

💛 LIKES gifts (Lleyth approves +5)

"Interesting. This is for me? How thoughtful of you, thank you. I'll have to find a good place for this..."

It Was An Accident: The Auspicious Art of Botany, Bombs & Botulism An absurdly large book with resources on various alchemy recipes, ingredients, tinkering blueprints, and various "hypothetical" ways to "accidentally" kill people. Banned from the shelves of most respectable retailers.

Thing-On-A-String Well, it's certainly a thing— and on a string, no less. Some might say it resembles some kind of fuzzy worm, but any practical value it may hold is unclear.

Sketchy Charcoal Set A standard set of tools found in the repertoire of many artists. There's something a little shady about this one, though.

Preserved Snake Head The skeletal remains of a an adder snake bearing its fangs, cast in resin to prevent damage to the delicate structure. Kinda creepy.

🖤 PRANK gifts (Lleyth disapproves -5)

"Oh. That's... nice. Thanks, I suppose."

You're Not Alone: A Beginner's Guide to Sobriety A self-help book found on the shelf of a Chantry archive. For when an intervention requires a more subtle approach.

The Fifth Talon in Oil by Lalo Amicci, 9:46 An unsettlingly accurate oil painting of the Fifth Talon of the Antivan Crows. It's judgmental eyes and perpetually annoyed scowl seem to follow the viewer around the room...

💔 HATES gifts (Lleyth disapproves -10)

I... and you're giving me this because...? ...No, nevermind. Forget I said anything. I think it looks better with you, honestly. Keep it. I insist.

Halla Statue A small figurine of a Halla sculpted from Sylvanwood. There are intricate runic patterns carved into it.

Toy Aravel A simplistic miniature aravel made of wood and cloth. A children's toy commonly found among the Dalish.

[invinciblerodent]

Baldur's Gate 3's Potato Chowder - RECIPE

So a few days ago, I found this recipe around the start of act 3, near the kitchen of the Temple of the Open Hand in Rivington:

[Screenshot of recipe as it appears in-game. Exact steps will be transcribed below, within the recipe.]

It looked... honestly very simple and not dissimilar from a Hungarian potato főzelék/stew (which is a very cheap and homely peasant dish I love), so I just made it for lunch today, and guys....

this soup is uh. really fucking good. I tried following it as close to the letter as possible, but since it's quite vague, I did have to improvise a fair bit- but it's very cheap and easy to make, it's warm and comforting while still quite light (there are like. NO spices in there, it's a very European-feeling dish), and I'd say it's surprisingly filling, but it's. It's potatoes, so there's nothing exactly surprising about that.

I tried to write out the recipe in a very beginner-friendly way, so even if you're not super confident in the kitchen, it should be easy to follow! ❤️

Make yourself some video game soup, it's awesome.

INGREDIENTS:

(For about 6 servings)

A roughly egg-sized lump of lard (This can be subtituted with a different cooking fat if you'd like, but I recommend sticking with lard, as it adds a nice flavor, and it's kind of the staple fat for these peasant stews.)

Potatoes (I used just under two pounds)

Half of a medium leek

Small yellow onion (or half of a larger one)

2 cloves garlic

Roughly 1/2 to 1 cup white cooking wine (optional, substitute given in recipe)

Vegetable stock (or chicken- or beef stock, or water)

2-3 tbsp all purpose flour

Salt to taste

1/2 cup of sour cream/créme fraiche (optional)

Shredded cheese and/or croutons to serve (optional)

(Recipe with transcriptions and exact steps under the cut!)

(This is basically all there is in this. Honestly.)

STEPS:

"1. Put your lard in a pot- a chunky one, mind. When it stops being lard and starts being hot lard, add any good-smelling veggies (leeks, garlics, onions) that you've chopped all thin. Please salt this so it doesn't taste of nothing."

This first step is pretty self-explanatory. I sliced the white part of he leek thinly, cubed my onion, and minced my two large cloves of garlic. In the lard melted in as chunky a pot as I've got (make sure it's not non-stick!!!), I sauteed first the leek and the onion with a big pinch of salt, and once the onion was translucent, the leek soft, and they've released some liquid (around 3-5 minutes on medium-low heat), I added the garlic, and cooked it until fragrant.

"2. When it's soft and good-smelling, chuck in any flour you've got and stir the mixture so it don't burn (note for me - it's very important not to burn it, emphasize)"

"2.5. PLEASE DO NOT LET IT BURN THAT'D BE RUBBISH"

Now we make a roux by adding just enough flour to the mixture that it starts sticking together, and looks fairly dry, but no part of the flour remains powdery. (This was about 3 tbsp for me, but since this process goes quick, I did eyeball it).

It's important to keep stirring, as this can and does stick to the bottom of a pot, but it will determine the thickness of the final soup, deepen its flavor, and give it a nice, creamy consistency. I made mine fairly blonde (light tan in color, cooked just past long enough to dissipate any raw flour smell), but it can go to a fairly dark, caramel color before burning if you'd like the flavor to be a bit deeper. (This should only take a couple minutes.)

Please do be careful- it the roux burns, that flavor will be impossible to get rid of, so.... yeah, it would be rubbish.

"3. If you're fancy and have wine (or have a generously stocked temple wine cellar nearby) add a bit of it now and cook it off. When it's done, add some wedged potatoes and a lot more liquid (not wine this time or you'll have a headache in the morning)."

We now deglaze the bottom of the pot with the wine: after pouring it in, with the wooden spoon, we scrape up any stuck pieces of flour or aromatics that there might be on the bottom.

(Note: If you don't have wine, or would prefer not to use alcohol for any reason, a neat trick is to mix about 1 tbsp of white wine vinegar and 1 tsp of granulted sugar into a cup of water, and use this mixture as a substitute for 1 cup of white wine. In most recipes, the wine's main purpose is to add acidity as well as sweetness to the dish- this trick aims to replicate those qualities, and tastes very similar in the end result. I use it often in almost anything that calls for white wine if I happen to not have any at hand. But do make sure to taste beforehand, it's very easy to go too heavy on the vinegar! It should taste sour, but not so much that it's unpalatable.)

Then, I rinsed my cubed potatoes (though the text calls for wedges, those often don't cook quite evenly!) with water to get rid of the excess starch, added them to the pot, and then covered them in vegetable stock. You can use chicken- or beef stock (which would make the soup a bit richer, heavier) or water (if you want it lighter) as well- in this last case you might need to add more salt than you'd think. (Make sure to taste- it should be flavorful, but not salty! Bouillon cubes and premade stocks often have a very high salt content, so if using that, you might find you don't need to add any.)

(It sohuld look something like this.)

"4. Cook for half an hour or so til the potatoes are nice and tender, and mash some of 'em up in the liquid. If you've got any cow products - cheese, milk and the like - add them now for extra delicious results."

From when the mixture starts to boil, it should take about 25-35 minutes of simmering on low heat, covered, for the potatoes to soften- you can test doneness by sticking a fork in one of the pieces, or gently pushing one against the edge of the pot with your wooden spoon. It should give easily at light pressure with both methods.

I then put the sour cream/créme fraiche in a heat-safe container (a mug will do perfectly), and ladled a bit of the hot cooking liquid on top of it, mixing it thoroughly- both to thin it out, and bring the temperatures closer to each other, which should help avoid any curdling. Stirring constantly, I then add the cream mixture to the soup in a thin, slow stream. (Any mildly acidic, creamy dairy product should work here- though I do think yogurt might be a bit too sour, if using that I would probably omit the wine.)

Then, as everything is done cooking and the cream is distributed evenly with no curds, I turn the heat off for safety, and using a very traditional, very fantasy, not at all anachronistic immersion blender, I blitz the entire thing for roughly 30 seconds. You can of course blend it less for more chunks (or remove some cooked potato bits before blending to add them back later), or even longer for a smoother consistency, but I did like that about that much blending left only a few, small chunks of nicely cooked potato in the otherwise smooth and creamy result.

I served with shredded Port Salut cheese and croutons on top- but this is of course optional, and I think just some nice, crusty bread would also work wonderfully!

Go make yourself a video game soup!!!!!!! It's so easy and good!!!!!!!

[wineglasses-1]

Wine Tasting Tips: A Beginner’s Guide to Savoring Every Sip

The art of wine tasting helps you appreciate the beverage more. In a well-lit setting, begin by examining the color and purity of the wine. Take a deep inhale after gently swirling the glass to unleash the perfume. Sip carefully during the tasting process to allow the wine to coat your palate. Take note of its aftertaste, acidity, and tastes. Pair your wine with complementary foods to elevate the experience. Remember, wine tasting is subjective, so trust your preferences and enjoy the journey of discovering what suits your taste.

[p1nkcanoe]

I wish you would write a fic where Swiss acts like even more of a freak with his guitar

okay i know you said his guitar, but he's had his eyes on rain's bass for a while...

i only have eyes for you

[ swiss x rain's bass ]

summary: swiss has had his eye on rain's bass for a while. tonight he finally gets the chance to show her how a bass like her should really be treated. warnings: grinding, masturbation, objectophilia (object attraction) word count: 1366

now on ao3 as it's own ficlet collection... make of that what you will.

(once again, please don't yell at me for the guitar stuff, i know nothing about playing or handling instruments, i just write strange porn…) 

It had been a long time coming. So many tour dates, so many rehearsals and practices, so many late nights listening to her sing in his room, cradled by slimmer, familiar hands… So many years. He’s yeared for her for years, and now, she’s finally his. Smooth. Pearly white with that black pickguard as dark and as clear as the night sky, shining under the light of the moon and smothered in the love and devotion that she really deserves. 

Rain’s bass. 

In Swiss’ hands. 

Just for one night. 

She’s heavier than he’d thought she’d be. Strong and sturdy in all of the right places–solid. Almost unfamiliar, but not unwelcome. He tries not to think about the one he loves most, locked away in her case someplace else, as he pulls this other woman into his lap–her back pressed nice and flush to his chest–this isn’t about her. Tonight is reserved for one special girl… 

Swiss looks out over the abbey grounds from their secret spot on one of the many balconies, high up above the surface of the earth and far from where his packmates and his papa sleep peacefully, blissfully unaware of their taboo rendezvous, watching as the fireflies make themselves known with flashing lights of brilliant green and yellow before they disappear back into the darkness of the night. Bathed by the pale light of the moon and the burning stars, he smooths his large hands over her body, feeling her curves and memorizing her dips and flares while his lips ghost gently over her head, taking in her sweet, woody scent and masking the one that deeply taints her surface. Cloves, rich, red wine, and tobacco. It won’t last past morning once he returns her to where she stays stored away, but for now she belongs to someone else. 

He noses at her shiny tuning keys and hums, turning her slightly in his hands to reach where her strings stretch tight around her dark string posts. When his tongue darts out and tastes, he can’t help the noise that escapes him. It’s low, drawn out from the throat, and dripping with his overflowing lust. He leaves a little behind on her hardware and leaves her shining with his saliva. He plans to see the reflection of the stars etched onto her glassy surface. 

“Would you like that?” he asks, his voice low, barely a whisper. There’s a nice roughness in his tone. He knows she likes that. They usually do. “If I covered you in my saliva until you shined with the light of the stars and the moon?” 

One of his hands migrates inward toward where she’s been patiently waiting, and he dips the tip of his middle finger between her strings, plucking the smallest bit to make her hum, nice and low. Beautiful. 

“I knew you would. You’re not used to being treated like this, are you?” 

He dips in again. Plucks at another. She hums, this time a little louder. A little richer. 

“Does Rain ever treat you like this?” 

Does Rain hear you purr like this when he tickles you? When he plays with your strings on stage? Does he appreciate you quite like I do?

The hand not tickling her strings drops to her round bottom and he wraps his fingers around her lower edge, using the heel of his hand to press her right into where he needs her most. Right into where he’s generously tenting the front of his pants. The pressure makes him groan and a pleasure-filled sensation runs through his veins–slow and lazy like honey–beginning in his balls and ending at the tips of his toes, the top of his head… He lays a lingering kiss to her headstock. 

“Spoil you?” 

His finger plucks on her A string and she whispers back to him, too soft for him to hear. 

“Pleasure you?” 

He plucks again, more insistent this time, and she repeats herself, this time much louder–not to be missed or mistaken in his ears. The vibrations from her voice go straight to his dick and the ghoul shudders, bowing his head against the back of her smooth neck to keep from grinding filthy against her body. 

Somewhere in the distance a frog croaks and a heron answers. They’re watching, gossiping back and forth in their language about what they’re witnessing, but Swiss doesn’t care. No, not at all. 

Let them watch, he thinks. 

Let them tell every land-dwelling and aquatic organism about what is happening on this sacred night. Let them spread what real love looks like, what it means to be a man pleasuring a woman.. Showing her her worth, worshiping her beauty, her body, her voice… 

Let them speak. Let them watch. 

He presses her closer, ruts his hips against her backside when she goes quiet and still and kisses up her golden neck with spit-slick lips. His fingers have stopped plucking at her strings and instead have slipped between them, curling four careful fingertips around her G string. She squeezes him right back and forces him right up against her body. Right up against her cool, smooth belly. 

“Ohhh,” he moans, his lips curling up into a devilish smile. “You’re tight, darling.” 

He pulls suddenly and lets go right as a moth flutters away into the night, but he’s quick to grab her again at the same string and soak up her vibrations with his fingers. She rings and vibrates until she calms again, goes quiet, and Swiss can’t help the way that he throbs. 

“He’s got you tuned perfectly, I bet. If we had more time together I’d loosen you up. Really let you feel it–feel me. But not tonight,” he sighs, more than disappointed, and drops his chin to lick up the uneven side of her neck and feel as her frets drag one by one over his tongue. Rough. Metallic. If he’s not careful she’ll cut him. He’d willingly let her if she’d let him leave his mark on her surface. Let it soak into the wood like a tattoo. But even like this, with her pressed so perfectly against him, he knows who she must ultimately go back to… Whose room she sleeps in at night… 

“Can’t take you back letting the other guy know what happened tonight, can I? We’ll have to leave you just as you are. Tight. Too tight…” 

He pulls at her string again, this time harder than any of the previous times, and she sings so loud, so gorgeous for him, and he sings right back with a slack jaw and sticky pre leaking into the fabric of his boxers. 

When he leans back and pulls her with him, laying her flat against his chest, he pretends that it was her idea. 

The stone he lays on is frigid through the fabric of his shirt. 

“You want him to know?” He chuckles and lets his eyes flutter closed as the vibrations course through her and settle deep into his balls. The hand on her bottom trails up her side, through her dips and back up where her body flares out again, and he grabs her right over her neck, squeezing in all of the right places, plucking her strings with the tips of his fingers in quick succession with no particular pattern but to please her. What he says next comes out in a hiss. The hand on her neck tightens. He swears he can hear her gasp. 

“You want to get me in trouble.” 

She doesn’t object. He plucks at her again and moans when she responds so perfectly to his fingers. 

“You’re filthy, but that’s our secret, isn’t it, sweetheart?” 

He looks up into the void just as a star carves a path across the universe and something warm blooms in his belly and twists, red hot. The desire under his skin will devour him. The star curves over the edge of the globe and dissipates behind the clouds. Even the cosmos, he thinks, believe this is the way that it should be. 

His filthy little secret… A guitar that doesn’t even belong to him… 

He’ll make sure she’s shining and right back in her case by morning. 

[copperbadge]

you mentioned being a supertaster, do you like wine? I went to a wine tasting thing for 3 weeks having never tried wine before. Everybody there waxed poetic about all the fruit and wood and leather they could taste in the wine. I was smelling everything they described and more and was very excited to take my first sip and nearly spit it out cartoon style. All I taste is pure alcohol. But I can smell all the details.

I tried many, many varieties of red and white wine over those 3 weeks. They all tasted like slightly different types of sweet vomit. The organizer thought I might be a supertaster. Or maybe it's an acquired taste.

If you've tried wine, what does it taste like to you?

Well, supertasting has a wide variety of ways it can manifest -- some people are more sensitive to sweet or bitter, some people can discern multiple flavors in a drink or dish while others just get one dominant flavor. Like one person might be able to get all kinds of flavors from a glass of wine as a supertaster, while others like you might only get "alcohol".

For me it's complicated by the fact that I didn't drink at all until I was in my mid-twenties, and also the fact that red wine for me usually results in a stabbing headache within about half an hour of drinking it. There are people who aren't supertasters who have a flavor sensitivity to tannin, so for some people wine really is just "bitter fruit juice" -- I think I described it once as "fruit-flavored paint thinner". Because I'm sensitive to tannins the bitter flavor is mostly what I get, even in white wine; or for example, with beer I usually only get hops flavor. But I also don't get the smells you get -- wine smells sickly and nauseating to me, I think in part because I know it tastes bad.

So, there are a few options -- one is that it might just be a taste you haven't acquired yet, two is that you might have a sensitivity to tannins without being a supertaster, and three is that you might be a supertaster with that particular sensitivity. There are tests you can do to see if you're a supertaster -- if you google "supertaster test strips" you should find several companies selling them. That's how mine was confirmed.

The fact you get the nice smells without the nice flavors suggests to me that it's more likely to be a tannin sensitivity, but given white wine also didn't taste good, when it's much lower in tannins, I don't want to state it assuredly. I'm not an expert when it comes to tannin sensitivity (there's a pretty good beginner's article here about flavor sensitivity as opposed to tannin allergy) but one of the reasons high-tannin wines are paired with fatty foods is that fat coats the mouth and lowers the astringency of the tannins. So if you just want to see if it's the tannins bothering you, flavorwise, next time you have a chance to sip some wine, try sipping some, then rolling some fat around in your mouth before taking a second sip. Take a small spoonful of olive oil, or a pat of butter, and roll it around with the tongue so it coats your tongue, the roof of your mouth, and your cheeks, then spit out whatever's left or swallow it so that you don't have a mouthful of fat. If the wine tastes better (not necessarily good, just not as awful) after a second sip, it's possibly the tannins.

In any case, good luck! And if you want to learn more my supertaster tag may be of use. :)

[chanothy]

Light Shinning in the Blue Mirror

Episode five

previous | all | next

At first, Lono didn’t seem in the mood, but… When he started cooking, he becomes a serious Lono. He seemed to be working wit his usual serious expression. Delicious looking dishes are benign prepared one after another. I will stay by Lono’s side and support him as much as i can.

[Lono, is this presentation okay?]

LONO :: Yes! Thank you Aruji-sama!

LONO :: Now it looks great! Now the question is, do you like the taste?

[Lono’s cooking is fine]

LONO :: I hope so. It seems that nobles has much more refined plates than commoners like me

LONO :: To think that i would cook for such a rude person… to be honest, i wasn’t motivated at first

[But you never give up]

LONO :: Yeah.. that is a matter of pride for me as a chef

LONO :: After all, eating delicious food is important!

LONO :: If he was full in a good mood… he might become more approachable

LONO :: If you get enough nutrition, you might even have the energy to go outside

LONO :: Hehe.. and to tell you the truth..

LONO :: Today’s meal wasn’t made for that nobleman… I made it for my Aruji-sama

[For me?]

LONO :: Yes! Because it’s better to have the feeling, “i want to make this for someone special”

LONO :: Because it makes me feel happy too.

LONO :: I hope that your physical and mental health will improve and that you will feel more energetic. I did some research into these ingredients and menu items.

LONO :: Apparently red meat is good for relieving stress! Also fermented foods, dairy products, nuts and wen it come to fruit, bananas are good.

LONO :: So, today menu is,,, broccoli cheese soup, nut and tomato salad…

LONO :: Red meat steak…. And for desert, we have banana pudding!

LONO :: Hehehe, ot be honest, i’d like to eat it right now, Aruji-sama

LONO :: But it would be a hassle to keep the nobleman waiting. I’ll comeback later to enjoy some freshly made food!

[Thank you, Lono]

LONO :: No no! We are the ones who should be thanking you.

LONO :: This time, i was able to realize once again just how blessed i am in my everyday life.

LONO :: Even if it’s the same dish… the satisfaction can be so different on whose face you imagine eating it.

LONO :: The feeling of being able to be of use to the butlers and Aruji-sama makes me so happy.

[Sounds like Lono]

LONO :: Well… that's all i can do

LONO :: So, in order to put Aruji-sama’s heart at ease… we decided to encourage you in any way we could

LONO :: Of course, completing grequests is important, but what’s more important is the health of the client.

[Thank you, Lono]

LONO :: Hehe… sorry for the long talk. The delicious food will get cold soon.

LONO :: Well then…. Shall i deliver the food to Mr.Miller?

LONO :: I’m sure he’ll complain about something. But i’ll just smile and bear it

LONO :: …But i’ll take a bottle of chili peppers with me just in case

[Oh that’s right]

We put the food on a cart and roll it into the Dinning room. In the Dining room Nac and the others had already arranged the tableware and prepared the wine

And when everything was ready, i politely summoned Mr.Miller

Miller Mansion DInning Room

MILLER :: Hmm…! It’s ot quite bad

MILLER :: It’s impressive for a lowly demon butler, i commend you.

LONO :: Ha ha ha… thank you

MILLER :: Also, this wine taste good. Where is it from?

LUCAS :: Yes, it is an 8 year old toblis

LUCAS :: Today we have this brand Mr.Miller… it is perfect for connoisseurs

MILLER :: I see… That was a good idea

MILLER :: I like it, i’ll buy about 100 boxes of the same wine!

LUCAS :: Hehe… i understand

MU :: ….Huh? I think Miller-sama just became an adult…

MU :: are such people accustomed to drinking wine?

NAC :: heh, of course not

NAC :: What Lucas has prepared is… an inexpensive wine that is easy to drink even fro beginners

NAC :: Of course, i won’t tell him that

[That’s right]

LONO :: I see.. So in short.., he’s just trying to show off

MILLER :: Hey there! Did you say something?

LONO :: No, nothing

LONO :: By the way… is it time for desert

MILLER :: Desert… oh well

MILLER :: But… you have to be able to judge those things based on your Aruji-sama’s facial expressions, right?

MILLER :: A first class butler is one who anticipated what his Aruji-sama wants before they evne asks. That point still remains.

LONO :: …. I will do my best….

LONO :: ..Phew, hold on, hold on..

Lono was holding a bottle of chili peppers in one hand… Even afterwards he continued to treat Miller with forced polite hospitality.

After a while

MILLER :: Huh… it was surprisingly delicious

LUCAS :: I’m glad you were satisfied, Mr.Miller

LUCAS :: After your meal.. How about taking a walk in the garden to work off your hunger?

LUCAS :: The sunshine is warm today… it’s perfect for a walk.

MILLER :: Hmph!... won’t fall for that Lucas!

MILLER :: There’s no need to go out to the garden, just walking around the mansion is good enough!

MILLER :: After all, my mansion is spacious!

LONO :: … “My mansion”... isn’t it just an inheritance from your parents that came rolling in?

MILLER :: Hey you there! Did you essay something?

LONO :: No, nothing

LONO:: But.. don’t you get bored staying in the mansion all the time?

LONO :: Theres plenty of fun things to do outside, including tons pf delicious food and drinks.

MILLER :: Hmp.. what are you talking about? You can get delicious food and alcohol without leaving the mansion ru…

MILLER :: You guys have just proven that.

NAC :: Yes, and it seems like he’s just going to indulge even more

MILLER :: Alright, I decided! In the future, i plan to invite top chefs from all over the country

MILLER :: I have plenty of money. Yes, i’ll hire a sommelier

LONO :: … this is not good. It’s like he has no intension of leaving the mansion

NAC :: Yes, and it look like he’s going to indulge even more.

NAC :: If you indulge in this kind of debauchery… it won’t be good for you.

MU :: Hmm… Why is he so reluctant to go outside!

LUCAS :: …Mr.Miller. I understand how you may find social interaction bothersome.

LUCAS :: Sir Finley, head of the Grosvennor family, has always been fed up with the flattery of those around him

LUCAS :: However, being born into a noble family… it's inevitable to socialize with those around you

LUCAS :: To reassure Sir Finley…. Would you please return to social life as before?

LUCAS :: Sir Finley is worried about you Mr.Miller

MILLER :: Hmm.. i think what my uncle is worried about is the reputation of the Grosvennor family

MILLER :: So were my parents. Ther family name and reputation always came first…

MILLER :: I was raised to always be concerned about how others see me… I never paid any attention to my own feelings.

MILLER :: Everytime is ee myself in the mirror. I feel like my parents were constantly watching me

MILLER :: But my parents are long dead now. I have nothing tying me down now.

MILLER :: Deep inside the mansion, out of reach of other people’s eyes… i’ll do my best to live my life however i like.

LUCAS :: Mr.Miller…..

[sloppysequinz]

Baby’s first house party, part I

Imagine going to a party—your very first one since you can legally drink! You’re giddy and ecstatic, you’ve been so good and not drunk more than a glass of wine with family until now, but now there’s no reason not to. You want to cut loose.

You don’t really know anyone besides the host who invited you, but the house is packed and the music is bumping. There’s a table full of bottles of booze and random soda for mixing or chasing. You grab a red cup and scribble your name and then you hesitate. You don’t know what anything is or how to mix it or what to drink.

From behind you, you hear a laugh. You turn to see a tall woman watching you. Her own red cup is full. Her low cut tank top shows off a body that makes you blush. You don’t recognize her, she’s definitely older than you but you couldn’t say by how much. She smiles warmly. “First time?”

You nod, face still warm, but she doesn’t mock you. “That’s so fun! Everyone only gets one first time. Want me to show you the ropes?” You want to nod but you hesitate. Sending your trepidation, she reaches out and pats your head reassuringly. “Dont worry, I can tell you’re pretty new to this. I’ll keep an eye on you and make sure you don’t overdo it. Ok?”

Reassured, you nod again. She giggles and claps gleefully, bustling up to the table next to you. “Ok, let’s start with mixed drinks, nothing fancy, it’s just a house party. Vodka with sprite or lemonade is great for beginners.” She grabs a plastic handle of vodka and pours into the cup you’re holding. “The line at the bottom of the cup is one shot so you can kinda use that to visualize how strong your drink is. Do you wanna start slow or dive right in?”

“Uhm…I wanna cut loose.” You confess. She cocks her head and grins.

“Feisty! I like it! We’ll start with a double then~” she pours a generous amount of vodka into your cup, then grabs a liter of sprite to fill up the rest of the cup. “Mine’s vanilla vodka and grapefruit soda,” she says, winking conspiratorially as she tops off her own cup. “Sweet and easy to drink, but you should learn how the liquors taste before trying flavored stuff so you know what you like.”

Now that you’re armed with full cups, she holds hers up to you. “Cheers!” You clink plastic cups and she tips hers back, drinking deeply. You take a careful sip of yours…and oh my gosh! It just tastes like soda! You were worried it would taste gross but it doesn’t at all. You drink greedily. The strange woman is watching you over her cup, eyes sparkling.

“Wow honey, I can tell you’re gonna be good at this. Want another?” You nod and she pours more into your cup. As she does, you feel the first drink start to hit. The blood rushes to your head and groin, you feel happy and loose and giggly. You can’t help but stare at your new friends chest as she hands your cup back. Booze really does lower your inhibitions, you think, only mildly embarrassed.

As you start your next double, you hear a commotion on the other side of the room. “Oh my god!” Cries your new friend. “Here’s something newbies have to learn!” She grabs your arm and pulls you towards the far side of the party. Your feet get a little mixed up and you both giggle at the stumble. You’re flushed and glowing under the attention of this woman as she pulls you deeper into the party.