Caster Monkey

It's not the straw that stirs the drink, but it is the graphite rod that scrapes the dross? Not quite the same ring to it...

As the graphite chunks all over will tell you, horses are apparently stubborn!

I've been slacking on video or pictures, but I did manage a few glamor shots. :) #monkeyshines2026

Finally, *Finally* it's casting night! #monkeyshines2026

I think most people are excited to find *a thing*. If they like the scent, that's a bonus. But just the experience of finding makes it worth putting out there. My 2¢.

I could get into a pickle candle!

Sorry Luna didn't turn out like you planned, but I find this whole thing fascinating. I kinda get how robitussin happens. How do you wind up with pickle out of that?

Donate to Support Tacoma's 2026 Monkeyshines Project, organized by Ms Monkey The Monkeyshines Project 2026 - Year of the Horse It's our 23rd year … Ms Monkey needs your support for Support Tacoma's 2026 Monkeyshines Project

Sun's out, funds out!

Have a few bucks after payday? The #monkeyshines2026 GoFundMe is 2/3 of the way to their goal! Let's get them that final 1/3 to keep the magic going year after year!

gofund.me/52f87b1ab

Those look awesome!

The hype is real!

Po-neato!

Ooh, intriguing!

You've proven yourself too good at guessing in the past. 😂

I had to simplify a bit this year, but I'm pretty happy with the designs I'm rolling with.

Not quite ready to show them off in full, but I'm getting too antsy not to do a little sneak peek!

#monkeyshines2026

What better time to donate than now? They're about 1/3 of the way there!

www.gofundme.com/f/support-ta...

#monkeyshines2026

New crucible, who dis?

I've got some patching to do on the furnace before I get on to casting, but the refractory cement is in hand. Getting closer now!

That's absolutely on theme! I'd count that all day!

That was wild! Lol I think we got a good handle on that.

I think we're due for a mod post. Rules reminder, point to the pinned posts, etc. Maybe I'll write something up tonight.

Our subreddit accidentally tripped the reddit algorithm last year and membership shot up like 10x overnight. We had to shut off recommendations and ability to trend, make a mod post, etc. I'll be honest, that freaked me out a bit when it happened. Lol

None of this is meant as criticism, btw.

Absolutely! I'm hoping to patch up my casting furnace tonight. Hopefully I can get production rolling in the next week or two!

Be kind, remind. Something like that. Haha

One could argue we were a bit too obsessive. 😂 But the history helped us a ton. That's part of why I still like clues. It's a way to carry on the old magic. I just try to be cryptic enough to manage the frenzy. Not that I always succeed. Lol

That makes a lot of sense. They don't see the history that went into the hunting skills, the etiquette, etc.

It's anonymous, but there are real people behind the monkey names. Easy to forget that, I suppose.

It's interesting how there seems to be sweet spots for network sizes. I pop in the Facebook on my wife's account occasionally and it seems like it's run about as well as I can reasonably imagine. I just never felt like Facebook (in general) was my scene.

I still keep tabs on Twitter, but it does seem markedly different from even a few years ago. I was pretty happy with how the bluesky experiment went last year. Hopefully some more people are willing to give it a try!

That's exactly it! I learned so much early on by puzzling out rogue clues. And I really enjoy the clue game. But it is a lot of work to do it right. I'm guessing I won't be able to help myself. Lol

Yea, I might wind up being light on clues this year. Pure scramble mode. Lol Might not be the worst thing though. I don't get the impression people regret giving fewer clues.

The word of the month: Inexorable.

If I can get my 50 pieces done by LNY, I'll be thrilled. Lol

I think the designs are pretty cool!

I'll be late to the party this year, but I'm excited to get rolling when I find a free day!

I pop in on my wife's account once in a blue moon. It's completely year round! Pretty impressive what you all built over there!

Twitter doesn't function right anymore (among other problems). Facebook doesn't seem very good for live clues or following particular people. Instagram search is useless.

But if everyone just feels like this is a redundant platform, I'm open to that feedback for the sake of community cohesion.

Looks like things are slowly starting for #monkeyshines2026!

People scattered across social media last year. I stand by leaving Twitter, but the fragmentation is a drag.

What's your social media plan this year? Where are you checking? Where are you posting? Mostly, is it worth staying on Bluesky?