Star Trek, mycology, misc.

Julia. She/her. Obsessed with Star Trek. I couldn't pick a definite favourite series, though Discovery is on my mind the most currently. Also obsessed with fungi. Might very occasionally post about other interests. My AO3 is Violets_and_Stars.

[curiousfungus]

If you come across my blog and think the combination of Star Trek and fungi is weird, try existing with my brain. Both topics are on my mind so, so often and intensely (with a big dose of philosophy thrown into the mix, too).

These two nerds get it, though.

[romans-art]

Kathryn Janeway done as That Picture of Katharine Hepburn. Maybe this is some more Killing Game stuff where Katrine is a dashing pilot during the interwar period idk

[curiousfungus]

This is from a series of small watercolour drawings I made quite some time ago. I did every colour of the rainbow, all with Star Trek women who are queer canonically or at least in my headcanon. Jadzia is the only one I'm still happy with, though. Maybe I'll redo it someday; it was a fun project.

[lichenaday]

What's the difference between lichen and fungus, like mushrooms? Thank you.

Hoo boy, that's the question, huh?

So, fungi are a lot of things. "Fungi" is an entire kingdom of life, like "Plantae" (plants) or "Animalia" animals. Consider how much diversity there is within those 2 groups, and now shift your perception of what a fungi can look like to that level of complexity. In, say, animals, those complex differences are pretty obvious when looking at like, a clam vs a honeybee vs a crocodile vs a human. But in fungi, most of that complexity isn't super visible to the human eye because most fungi are small and cryptic, so it gets overlooked even though the diversity is there.

"Mushrooms" are the fruiting bodies of basidiomycete fungi: just one division of the entire fungal kingdom. A fruiting body is like, well, a fruit! It is a reproductive structure that releases spores, which are like the seeds of plants. These structures are attached to a "mycelium," a connected network of fungal hyphea (long filaments containing fungal cells). Think of the mycelium as like, the trunk of a tree, and the mushroom as an apple.

Not all fungi have a mycelium (the same way not all plants have a trunk)--many are unicellular organisms, and others have simpler body plans, and some (like lichens) have more complicated body plans.

Besides basidiomycete mushrooms, ascomycete fungi produce mostly "cup-shaped" fruiting bodies, often referred to as "mushrooms" even though they aren't technically mushrooms. Confused yet? Stick with me. What is a lichen? Lichenization (a fungus forming a symbiotic relationship with a photosynthesizing organism) is a lifestyle trait more than it is a distinct group. While most "lichens" are ascomycete fungi, there are some basidiomycete fungi that have lichenized as well. It is a way for a fungi (we call it the mycobiont) to basically "farm" algae and/or cyanobacteria (we call these the photobionts) to harvest energy from, and in return the mycobiont provides the photobiont with a safe environment.

Most lichens have "apothecia" as seen in the picture above: the cup-shaped fruiting bodies often found in the ascomycete fungi. BUT some (very few) lichens actually *have* mushrooms because they are a symbiosis between an algae and a mushroom-producing fungi (basidiomycete):

SO to conclude: --Fungi is a diverse kingdom of life --Mushrooms are a reproductive structure of a specific lineage of fungi --Lichens are a symbiotic organism made up of a fungus and a photosynthesizing organism (algae and/or cyanobacteria) --Most lichenized fungi are ascomycetes, but some are basidiomycetes --You can think of lichenization as a lifestyle as opposed to a specific group

Fungi are complicated and difficult and confusing, and wonderful and beautifully complex and endlessly fascinating!

[curiousfungus]

Sometimes, I walk into the room and she's just hanging out in a pose like this. Such a silly little creature. 🫶

[deactivated-blog]

live long and prosper, lesbian

[ajtal]

Sad Paul sketch with inverted colours bc it was late and dark

[sophiaforevs]

Thinking about how a lot of the complaints about Star Trek Discovery and Star Trek Starfleet Academy boiled down to "eew queer people," "eew neurodivergent women," and "eew non-super skinny and athletic people." For a show who's driving philosophy is supposed to be IDIC, a lot of the fanbase wants it to be SADVRPDC (Socially Acceptable Diversity (that doesn't make me uncomfortable in any way) in Very Rigid and Pre-Defined Combinations).

[curiousfungus]

Yes. That explains a lot of the vitriol. Also, there was so much "eew black women" against Michael Burnham.

[iwishiwenttostarfleetacademy]

This is so basic and general, and also very specific and I fear it's literally me

[ajtal]

This has definitely been made before but idc

May she give me strength to do things

[ajtal]

If you hate him I'm lasering you Homelander-style in my head

[hepzibat]

I spent way too much time on this

[unamccormack]

WOW

[curiousfungus]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Star Trek: Discovery (TV) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Hugh Culber/Paul Stamets Characters: Hugh Culber Additional Tags: Angst, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, Dissociation, Hugh Culber Needs a Hug, he really isn´t okay, Discovery Season 2 Summary:

Hugh wandered into the cultivation bay. It was weird being in here alone. He didn´t really know what he was doing.

[ajtal]

"You're so handsome, I hate your humming, pls fuck off"

"You're such an asshole and that's so attractive"

[curiousfungus]

That leaves some hope for the rest of us who are autistic and don't know how flirting works, doesn't it? 😅

[vamillepudding]

Six non-selfie photos

Thanks for the tag @kookaburrito !

1. A lake in Poland, taken on a hike

2. A cocktail made by my aunt

3. Banana bread made by me

4. The Rhine - near the famous Lorelai stone from the ballad! Also taken on a hike

5. Cherry blossoms blooming! Taken on a hike

6. Wine and a vase I got at a pottery market 🍷🏺

Tagging @itsnotmyrat @pumpkinspice-prouvaire @80aidy80 @killiru @kim-tey and anyone else who wants to do it! :)

[1921classic]

1. poached egg

2. ones

3. bunny (plastic pail from the discount store)

4. would you like to see how to clear a bill jam?

5. turkey

6. elvira

@folkrocklobster @bronze-hare @dangerliesbeforeyou @weltato

[weltato]

Cheers for the tag! ^-^

This is six on a technicality:

1+2: a wedding invite that looked so pretty I couldn't bear to break it open

3: the Twelve Days of Christmas according to my Scout District

4: the stage at the end of Kinky Boots

5: fairy lights at a different wedding I was at a couple of years ago

6: three little dinos I crocheted ages ago for some friends of mine :)

7: the Grim Reaper model from Sims Medieval bc I wanna crochet him one day

No pressure tags!

@adiraofthetals @ajtal @ashlexzz @the-ace-attorney-siren @captain0null

[ajtal]

Thanks for the tag:)

1. The halls of the private cinema in Wijk bij Duurstede

2. The way to the Jaarbeurs convention halls in Utrecht at nightfall

3. A glow-in-the-dark minigolf alley in Dortmund

4. A library in a church in Vught

5. The beach of Zeebrugge

6. The canals of Utrecht on a summer evening🫶

Tagging uhhhh @sadmushroomgoblin @spacetwoofmanyfrontiers @curiousfungus but no pressure!

[curiousfungus]

Thanks for the tag, @ajtal !

1. My corn snake's scales (her name is Kira).

2. Lake Constance in winter, with the Alps in the background.

3. A mushroom of the genus Hericium (probably H. corralloides), with a tiny snail on it.

4. Beech forest at dusk.

5. A Star Trek rainbow cake I made.

6. Temple of Hephaestus, Ancient Agora of Athens.

I don't really know who I should tag; maybe you want to do this, @themycelialnetwork @sleepyjeanysblog @serinmatheson1 ? Or anyone else who feels like it?

[aphrostiel]

janeway and seven

[ajtal]

Mirror Paul Stamets